This blog post was written by Kristen Peairs, Nutritionist and Meditation Guru 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.
Living with diabetes can feel challenging. From knowing when and what to eat, to navigating medications and symptoms, there are an abundance of tasks to be attentive toward when diabetes is the diagnosis. How can we successfully cope? What happens if we can’t cope?
When we speak of coping, we are entering into the realm of diabetes and mental health. Having diabetes and experiencing mental health issues is quite common.
Diabetes and Mental Health Statistics
When it comes to diabetes and mental health statistics, data shows that people with diabetes are 20% more likely than people without diabetes to experience anxiety during their lifetime. Also, people with diabetes are 2-3 times more likely to experience depression than people without diabetes. Additionally, people with depression are at 60% increased risk of experiencing type 2 diabetes. These diabetes and mental health statistics show that there is a relationship between diabetes, anxiety, and depression, but they don’t tell us why.
Diabetes and Stress
Is it possible that stress is a contributing factor? Yes, it is possible. Stress, especially chronic stress, negatively affects many health conditions. Stress makes our bodies ramp up to prepare for fighting and/or fleeing. It also causes more sugar (to support fighting and/or fleeing) to be released into our blood which can definitely be problematic when the stress is constant. Many studies have examined the relationship between stress and diabetes, and the results, while varied, suggest stress can contribute to the onset and aggravation of type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Distress
Diabetes distress, also known as diabetes burnout, is defined as physical and emotional overwhelm related to taking care of all the things that need cared for related to diabetes. Of everyone who has diabetes, 30-55% will experience diabetes distress at some point within an 18-month period.
Diabetes is a chronic condition. It requires regular attention and maintenance to successfully navigate through it. There is no area of life safe from its effect. Because diabetes influences what and when we eat, it changes how we interact with our jobs, families, and friends. Because physical activity plays a role, fitness and how we move ourselves is significant. Because medications can be involved, financial planning may become necessary. All of these factors can contribute to a feeling of overwhelm associated with diabetes distress.
What can we do to help ourselves maintain mental health when we have diabetes?
Maintaining Mental Health with Diabetes
1. Pay Attention to Your Feelings
Feelings are indications of what’s going on in our brain and body. When we pay attention to our feelings, we can notice trends toward happiness, sadness, anger, frustration, anxiety, depression, physical pain or any number of other patterns. When we can connect with the patterns, we can make more empowered decisions about what to do. Many sad and upset feelings can indicate a need for extra support from a mental health professional. Feelings of agitation, discomfort, and restlessness, might steer us toward a medical doctor, whereas feelings of fatigue and frustration might send us to the diabetes educator. Paying attention to our feelings can help us notice what’s happening in our mind and body so we can attend to what’s needed.
Self-help practices that can support us in noticing our feelings include journaling and meditation.
If you’d like to read more about meditation, check out this article: Guided Meditation for Anxiety and Stress Relief
If you’d like to learn more about journaling, check out this article: The Benefits of Journal Writing for Mental Health
2. Ask for AND Accept Help
In a world where independence is emphasized, it may feel challenging to ask for and/or accept help. However, throughout history, humans have relied on each other to survive and thrive. Asking for help can be perceived as a sign of strength, courage, and self-awareness. Accepting help when it is offered can feel like a gift to the giver just as much as it is to the receiver. When we are in the midst of managing our health and life with diabetes, inviting and allowing help is an important part of supporting ourselves in continuing to live a vibrant life.
3. Talk with People
When change is happening and overwhelm is looming, we sometimes forget how much support is available. Talking with family, co-workers, friends, health professionals, and other people with diabetes can help us feel connected and supported wherever we are in our diabetes journey. It’s true that not everyone needs to know every thing about what is going on with us, but when what we eat and how frequently we eat it is essential for us to feel good, it’s worth letting others know what’s going on and why it’s important.
Honest communication about our health and how we are feeling can be especially essential with our families, friends, and co-workers. These people are the ones with whom we eat, socialize, and work. Plus, these people tend to be the ones closest by if there is a sudden need or emergency.
With health professionals, sharing about our mental/emotional symptoms can be just as important as sharing about our physical symptoms. Professionals can’t suggest resources unless they hear us share what’s happening in our minds as well as our bodies.
Finally, remember to explore diabetic support groups. In these groups, we can find people who have been, and are going through, life experiences similar to the ones we are going through. We can learn from and with them.
4. Do Enjoyable Activities
To help ourselves maintain balance amidst the stress of having diabetes, it is important to continue to do things we enjoy. Sometimes, the enjoyable activities keep getting pushed to the bottom of the list. Remember that participating in enjoyable activities helps us feel stronger and more able to navigate the less fun parts of life. A simple strategy to help keep us connected to our enjoyable activities is to make a list of at least five things we like to do and then post it on our fridge or pin it in our phone.
5. Focus on One Day at a Time
Remember that each day is a new chance to take an additional step toward caring for yourself with diabetes. You don’t have to master everything all at once. Keep your goals small and focus on one goal at a time.
A Next Step
With all of the ideas that have been shared in this article, what is one thing you’d like to remember? What is one action you plan on taking?
To learn more about diabetes, check out these other articles:
Disclaimer
By participating in/reading the service/website/blog/email series on this website, you acknowledge that this is a personal website/blog and is for informational purposes and should not be seen as mental health care advice. You should consult with a licensed professional before you rely on this website/blog’s information. All things written on this website should not be seen as therapy treatment and should not take the place of therapy or any other health care or mental health advice. Always seek the advice of a mental health care professional or physician. The content on this blog is not meant to and does not substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
