This blog post was written by Kristen Peairs, Nutritionist and Meditation Facilitator at Nivati. You can see more of their content on the Nivati platform and on the Nivati blog. If you want to learn more about Nivati, click here. 

While changing our dietary regimen and exercise routine is a commonly recommended strategy for reducing symptoms of diabetes, an additional, often overlooked strategy, is the practice of mindfulness.

Nearly any activity can be done mindfully, but a few specific activities known for helping cultivate mindfulness include yoga, meditation, and journaling. These activities are called mindfulness practices. Their purpose is to help us to become present and tuned into what we are doing in the current moment.

It turns out that when we make the effort to focus on just our breath, just our movement, or just our writing, we often start feeling less stressed. When our stress goes down, our blood sugar, blood pressure, and anxiety often go down too.

For people with diabetes, symptoms such as elevated blood sugar, blood pressure, and anxiety are all common concerns. The stressful experience of managing the chronic illness of diabetes alongside work, family, and other life needs can become too much, resulting in diabetes distress, also called diabetes overwhelm. Of everyone who has diabetes, 30-55% will experience diabetes distress at some point within an 18-month period.

Engaging with mindfulness practices can help decrease the effects of stress, and in turn, support the reduction of diabetes symptoms.

What Makes a Practice Mindful?

Dr. Shauna Shapiro, in her book Rewire Your Mind, says that mindfulness includes 3 factors.

· Intention

Intention involves our purpose or attitude relating to what we want to obtain by doing an activity/practice. Intentions keep us focused and purposeful.

· Attention

Attention brings us to a state of presence. Where attention goes, our energy flows, so when we are mindfully engaging with a practice, we are choosing where to place our attention rather than letting our worries, anxieties, or circumstances dictate it for us.

· Attitude

Our attitude can make or break the results we receive from doing a mindful practice. Adopting a viewpoint of curiosity and compassion can help us learn and grow with ease, whereas an attitude of anger and resentment may leave us feeling more stressed and uncomfortable than when we started. 

Remember, mindfulness is a practice, and it requires practice. Practice takes time. Adding activities that support mindfulness to our schedule can help ensure we move one step closer to obtaining the beneficial results we desire.

Benefits of Mindfulness Practices for Type 2 Diabetes

1. Reduced stress: Researchers believe that regular engagement with mindfulness practices helps the body dial down its response to stress. When we experience less stress, our body makes fewer stress hormones. Having fewer stress hormones equals a better possibility of more balanced blood sugar and a less anxious mind.

2. Improved physical function: Many studies have shown that mindfulness practices help reduce blood pressure and pain while also increasing heart health. Since heart health, pain, and blood pressure are all co-occurring conditions with type 2 diabetes, it makes sense that mindfulness practices are supportive for type 2 diabetics to engage with.

3. Fewer cravings: Powerful cravings for foods, beverages, and other substances can be disruptive for anyone, but for type 2 diabetics, cravings can further stress an already stressed mind and body. A review of many studies researching the effectiveness of mindfulness-based practices found that mindfulness practices helped significantly reduce cravings.

4. Better focus: Feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities of caring for our diabetic needs is part of the condition called diabetes distress. Mindfulness practices can help increase our ability to discern and focus on what’s most important from minute to minute. In one study, it was discovered that after 6 months of mindfulness training, participants were able to process visual information and use that information to direct their attention with more ease than participants who did not receive the training.

Mindfulness Practices to Explore

There are so many ways to explore mindfulness! For people looking for a comprehensive, well-researched program, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction may be the way to go. If a little bit of exploration here and there is desired, then perhaps yoga and/or meditation might be good places to start. If a quiet, reflective practice is desired, then journaling may be an appropriate option.

Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a 9-lesson evidence-based program offering secular, intensive mindfulness training to assist people with stress, anxiety, depression, and pain. Many studies have researched the effectiveness of this program for people suffering from diabetes and the results show that the use of MBSR techniques, particularly for periods of 6 months and longer, can help reduce symptoms of diabetes overwhelm. Other factors that were discovered to increase success with MBSR included participation in group classes and practicing at home.

Yoga

Yoga is an ancient practice that brings together the mind and the body through mindset, physical movement, and/or breathing. There are thousands of different styles of yoga and an infinite number of ways to practice it. A large amount of research relating to yoga practice and diabetes has been conducted and results continue to suggest that participating in yoga practices is beneficial for people suffering from type 2 diabetes.

To learn more about yoga, read Virtual Yoga for Stress and Anxiety Relief | Nivati

Meditation

Meditation is a practice that supports the mind and body by training attention and awareness. It can be done while sitting still or moving. It can last a few seconds or many hours. Like with yoga, there are thousands of different ways to meditate and an infinite number of ways it can be customized to fit unique needs.

Is there a specific meditation for diabetes healing? No. 

However, there are meditations that help relieve stress and there are other meditations that help relieve pain. Meditation and other mindfulness practices aren’t intended to cure problems, as much as they are used to support us in feeling peace and comfort regardless of the problems.

To learn more about meditation, read The Benefits of Meditation | Nivati

Journaling

Journaling can help us slow down and process our thoughts and feelings. The simple act of writing can provide a connection with what’s bothering us (diabetes-related or not) and provide openings to new ideas. Sometimes, simply getting thoughts out of our heads and onto paper can provide the relief we’re seeking.

To learn more about journaling, read The Benefits of Journal Writing for Mental Health | Nivati

What’s Your Next Step?

As we’ve now explored several mindfulness-based options for reducing symptoms of diabetes, what would you like to try for yourself? Will you seek out a meditation for diabetes symptoms you’re experiencing? Will you do some journaling about the kind of meditation you’d like to further your journey toward diabetes healing? The choice is up to you. What do you choose?

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