Learning that you have a chronic disease like type 2 diabetes isn't easy. If you know someone else who has type 2 diabetes, you may have an idea of what it's like to live with it. But it's important to understand that their experience isn't yours. Your health journey is unique to you.
Type 2 diabetes is serious, but it can also be a turning point in your life. It puts you in a position to examine how you live your life. You can help your body become stronger, physically and emotionally. The way you think about your body and your diagnosis can have an impact on your blood sugar levels and, in the end, your quality of life.
Reframing Your Thoughts
There's no doubt that hearing "you have type 2 diabetes" can be shocking. You need to take the time to process, ask questions, and think about how you are going to manage. As tempting as it can be, you don't have to change everything all at once. If you tackle things a bit at a time, you can make positive changes right away that will help lower your risk of diabetes complications. Keep in mind, you don't need to do this alone.
In the U.S., more than 38 million people have diabetes, and about 9 out of 10 of them have type 2. This means there are many people who know what you're living with and there are many resources available to you as you learn how to navigate your diagnosis and life.
With the right tools and support, you can work on not only keeping your blood sugar levels on target, but you can protect the rest of your body – your brain, heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and other organs.
It's not all or nothing
You know how many people join gyms and other types of activities in the new year, saying that this is the year that they're going to get into shape? Or how someone decides to take on a new hobby and buys all the fancy equipment before learning the basics? How many follow through? Some do, but many don't. They had the best intentions but were trying to change too much too fast. It's easy to fall into the same all-or-nothing approach when you're faced with a condition like diabetes that requires many lifestyle changes. The problem with this way of thinking is that there are only two options: success and failure. There's no room for celebrating the small, but steady improvements you make over time.
If you make a mistake, you feel awful and may forget all the successes you've had. You miss a few days at the gym? You might as well quit altogether. You ate food that doesn't fit into your food plan a few days in a row? Well then you might as well just give up, right? Wrong. It's not all or nothing.
To accept this change from all or nothing means shifting your self-talk. For example, maybe you went on vacation and ate food that isn't part of your meal plan. You could feel terrible afterward and say to yourself that you failed. Instead, you could say something like, "I ate food that wasn't the best for me, but I did take a walk and I took my medication. Tomorrow, I'll try to stick to my food plan better." Another approach is instead of thinking or saying, "I just can't do this. I don't have the self-discipline," say something like, "Managing diabetes is a lifelong learning project, and I'm not always going to get it right." The point is to acknowledge that yes, you did something you wish you hadn't, but it's not the end of the world. It's not all or nothing.
Avoid denial
Accepting that you will likely make some missteps is good, but be careful that this doesn't turn into denying yourself good care. Accepting missteps means accepting that you did something you wish you hadn't, but you know you'll try not to do that again. Denial looks into the future. It downplays the seriousness of the disease, and instead of acknowledging that while it probably wasn't a good idea to skip your physical activity for the day, you think, "It's not that bad to skip exercise for days." This type of thinking is dangerous because you can go from "It's not that bad to miss a few days of exercise" to "It's not that bad to miss a few weeks of physical activity."
Other examples of downplaying diabetes include postponing serious things like contacting your diabetes care team if you have a sore on your foot or your blood sugars aren't in your target ranges.
You can and likely will make some mistakes, but you do have to take your diagnosis seriously because diabetes is a serious illness.
Set Realistic Goals
While we all approach challenges differently, a common reaction is to jump all in, a lot like how people approach New Year's resolutions. But it's better to view managing diabetes as a lifelong journey. It's not easy to make too many changes all at once. And it's probably not realistic to think that they'll stick. So rather than going all in, it might be better to tackle diabetes management in smaller chunks.
Let's say your doctor says, "You need to exercise more." That doesn't mean you have to join a gym or even sign up for aerobics or Zumba classes. What this does mean is that you need to move more than you're currently moving. If you tend to stick close to home, try scheduling a daily walk, maybe with a friend. Going to work? Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Do you like to garden or dance? Do it more often. Increase what you're doing and see what you enjoy doing.
Meals are the same. Yes, you probably need to adjust your usual diet. But that doesn't mean you have to change what you eat all at once. Set goals for increasing how many vegetables you eat in a day until it becomes routine, for example. The same thing goes for weight loss.
It might be ideal for you to lose 30 pounds, let's say. But that's a lot of weight. So, break it down. You need to lose 5 pounds six times. Work on that 5-pound goal. When you reach it, savor that win. You did it! Now, let's work on the next 5 pounds. And never forget, a small weight loss is still a win.
Understand the Emotional Toll Diabetes Can Take
Your mental health affects your physical health, and the reverse is also true. Making all the lifestyle changes you need to manage diabetes and knowing that it is a lifelong condition can lead to depression, anxiety, and even burnout. The term for this is diabetes distress.
Recognizing this and asking for help before this happens is ideal, but it's never too late to reach out for help if you're struggling. Support groups are a good way to help manage your feelings. Ask the people on your diabetes care team if they know of local support groups. If you can't find a local one, you can reach out to your local American Diabetes Association chapter office.
But sometimes, the groups aren't enough. This is when you need to find a mental health provider. There are several professionals who can help people manage their mental health, including:
- Social workers
- Therapists
- Counselors
- Psychologists
Ask your diabetes care team if they have referrals for mental health professionals. If you're part of a support group, you can ask for personal recommendations from the people in the group too. Another option is using the Mental Health Professional Directory, provided by the American Diabetes Association. There, you can enter your search radius and ZIP code. There's a dropdown menu that lets you choose a specific interest, including:
- Depression
- Diabetes distress
- Medication adherence
- Nutrition
- And much more
Your relationship with type 2 diabetes will change over time. Learning about the disease and managing it can be challenging. Once you feel comfortable, things can happen in your life that might throw you off balance again. When this happens, take a step back and return to how you started – seek support, take things one step at a time, and take care of yourself so you can continue to live well with type 2 diabetes.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: E+/Getty Images
SOURCES:
American Diabetes Association: "Mental Health."
CDC: "Type 2 Diabetes," "Change Negative Thoughts to Get Motivated," "10 Tips for Coping with Diabetes Distress."
