If you have diabetes, we have resources!

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month – a perfect time to raise awareness and support for those affected by diabetes and to highlight the physical, mental and emotional challenges that living with diabetes can present.

Whether you live with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, diet and exercise are two of the most powerful tools you have. Not only do they help you control your blood glucose (sugar), they can mean the difference between feeling run-down and feeling great.

Eat healthy.

New diets can feel restrictive, and there’s no one-size-fits-all diet. While you need to make changes in what and how much you eat, you have access to plenty of guidance. The American Diabetes Association recommends you start with an ADA-approved cookbook and also:

Eat a variety of foods, including vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nonfat dairy foods, healthy fats and lean meats or meat substitutes.
Try not to overeat.
Try not to eat too much of one type of food.
Space your meals evenly throughout the day.
Avoid skipping meals.

Get active.

Another important part of living a full and healthy life with diabetes is being active. No matter what you do or how you approach it, know that any type of physical activity helps lower your blood glucose. Other benefits of physical activity include:

Having more energy.
Relieving stress.
Keeping your joints flexible.
Lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Feeling great.
Weight management.

Be sure to talk to your doctor if you have questions about which activities are right for you.

Don’t be distressed.

No diabetes management and treatment plan is the same for everybody. Your doctor, diabetes education specialist and other healthcare professionals will create a plan for your specific needs. A successful diabetes management plan will include healthy eating, exercise, medical support and emotional support. Yes, emotional support. Getting emotional support is just as important as any other part of diabetes care and treatment.

When all of this feels like too much to deal with, you may have something called diabetes distress. This is when all the worry, frustration, anger and burnout makes it hard for you to take care of yourself and keep up with the daily demands of diabetes. The good news is that there are things you can do to cope with diabetes and manage stress. Here are 10 tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that can help:

Pay attention to your feelings. Almost everyone feels frustrated or stressed from time to time. Dealing with diabetes can add to these feelings and make you feel overwhelmed. Having these feelings for more than a week or two may signal that you need help coping with your diabetes so that you can feel better.
Talk with your healthcare providers about your feelings. Let your doctor, nurse, diabetes educator, psychologist or social worker know how you’ve been feeling. They can help you problem-solve your concerns about diabetes. They may also suggest that you speak with other healthcare providers to get help.
Talk to your healthcare providers about negative reactions other people may have about your diabetes. Your healthcare providers can help you manage feelings of being judged by others because you have diabetes. It’s important not to feel that you have to hide your diabetes from other people.
Ask if help is available for the costs of diabetes medicines and supplies. If you’re worried about the cost of your medicines, talk with your pharmacist and other healthcare providers. They may know about government or other programs that can assist people with costs. You can also check with community health centers to see if they know about programs that help people get insulin, diabetes medicines and supplies (test strips, syringes, etc.).
Talk with your family and friends. Tell those closest to you how you feel about having diabetes. Be honest about the problems you’re having in dealing with diabetes. Just telling others how you feel helps to relieve some of the stress. However, sometimes the people around you may add to your stress. Let them know how and when you need them to help you.
Allow loved ones to help you take care of your diabetes. Those closest to you can help you in several ways. They can remind you to take your medicines, help monitor your blood sugar levels, join you in being physically active and prepare healthy meals. They can also learn more about diabetes and go with you when you visit your doctor. Ask your loved ones to help with your diabetes in ways that are useful to you.
Talk to other people with diabetes. Other people with diabetes understand some of the things you are going through. Ask them how they deal with their diabetes and what works for them. They can help you feel less lonely and overwhelmed. Ask your healthcare providers about diabetes support groups in your community or online.
Do one thing at a time. When you think about everything you need to do to manage your diabetes, it can be overwhelming. To deal with diabetes distress, make a list of all of the tasks you have to do to take care of yourself each day. Try to work on each task separately, one at a time.
Pace yourself. As you work on your goals, like increasing physical activity, take it slowly. You don’t have to meet your goals immediately. Your goal may be to walk 10 minutes, three times a day each day of the week, but you can start by walking two times a day or every other day.
Take time to do things you enjoy. Give yourself a break! Set aside time in your day to do something you really love; it could be calling a friend, playing a game with your children or grandchildren, or working on a fun project. Find out about activities near you that you can do with a friend.

Remember that it’s important to pay attention to your feelings. If you notice that you’re feeling frustrated, tired and unable to make decisions about your diabetes care, take action. Tell your family, friends and healthcare providers. They can help you get the support you need.

Helpful Links

For some helpful tips on living with diabetes, visit these Hally® links:

And to learn even more about diabetes and how to manage it, visit these links from our partners: