Diabetes and Self-Love

Posted by Jade Venhaus on June 29, 2020

The collective energy has been heavy lately, I feel it too. The last thing I want to think about is my diabetes, yet the stress of today’s environment sends my blood sugar on a rollercoaster of highs and lows. I’ve discovered a few tricks that help my mental state when times get tough, and it includes some acts of self-love. Here they are:

1. Be Gentle with Yourself

When you catch yourself getting frustrated with your diabetes (as we all do), remember to be gentle with yourself. I like to pause and take a breath while repeating my favorite diabetes affirmations. I inhale to the count of 3, hold my breath and repeat an affirmation, and exhale everything back out. This is a tool you can use whenever needed! For example, I will sometimes do this when I’m feeling anxious because my blood sugar is stubbornly high, and I can’t get it to come down.

2. Take Time for Joy

Living with a disease that requires you to make so many extra decisions everyday can be overwhelming. This is why it’s so important to make time for joy! I’ve had a ton of weeks where no matter what I do, my blood sugar is all over the place. It used to make me so upset I’d let it consume me. Over time, I realized this made me feel even worse, so I started scheduling more creative time for myself. For example, I love to do activities like journaling and coloring, so now every week I schedule time for me to journal and color. Even if you only have an hour per week to do this, that is totally fine! Do what works for you.

3. Make a Self-Care Checklist

I’ve found self-love and care to be one of the healthiest things for my mind, body, and soul. Because at the end of the day, we’ll always have days where our diabetes just sucks, and it’s important to prosper through these times. To help me get through these times, I’ve made a diabetes self-care checklist and try to do at least one thing per week.

With self-love and care you have the ability to confidently live with your diabetes. And of course, if you are looking for a supportive community who “gets it”, join us on social media @myabetic.

❤️