Diabetes is a condition which affects many people in the world, especially during modern times. Even though there are many ways to effectively manage this health condition, it can be challenging to manoeuvre on some days. Since this is a long term condition which needs constant monitoring and care, it can prove to be quite an isolating experience for the person who is suffering from this. Even though there are a million and one articles on managing diabetes, there are just not enough articles about how to cope with the numbers that you are constantly faced with in such a case.
A major part of any long term health condition is how it affects the patient’s mental health. For this purpose, we are bringing to you a list of all the ways through which one can cope with unfavourable readings and numbers on the blood glucose meter when you or a loved one suffers from diabetes. In addition to the appropriate medication, make sure to give the affected person a lot of love, care and support to help them navigate through the difficult times well. If you are interested to know about the ways to deal with your body’s irregular blood glucose levels, keep on reading!
- Understand That It Is Normal:
The most important thing to remember if you suffer from diabetes is that it is completely normal for your blood sugar to show unfavourable results sometimes. A major struggle that diabetes patients have is of punishing themselves harshly for a bad reading. While it is important to give importance to numbers to avoid making your condition worse, know when to not let it affect you so intensely. Remember that your body is grappling with this disease well so do not be too hard on it. Just take good care of it and keep seeking timely medical advice from trusted professionals.
- Join A Support Group:
Like we have mentioned before, suffering from diabetes can be quite an isolating experience, especially if the people around you are not always able to understand the gravity of your condition. In such a case it is important to identify other people who are in the same boat as you to talk through the disease. If such kind of people are challenging for you to find in your own social circle, you can venture out and look for a support group. These groups can help you to know that you are not alone and emotionally support you through tough incidents.
- Do Not Take Readings Too Frequently:
It is so easy to get totally consumed by numbers whilst suffering from a long term disease like diabetes. While it is a good idea to regularly check your blood sugar levels with a blood glucose meter to notice any kind of drastic changes and get timely help for them, if you take them too often, chances are that you can get obsessed with the numbers. This can only push you into a despairing mindset which can ultimately worsen your condition. So it is important to remember here that you take your readings at proper times and set a limit as to how many times you use the device on a daily basis.
- Do Something Which Makes You Happy:
When you have an all consuming condition like diabetes, it is so easy to get completely lost in it. Since it requires a good amount of time and effort to manage it in a proper way, your whole life can easily become surrounded by this disease. It can stay inside your head which causes unnecessary stress and worrying. To help ease this stress, it is important to engage in activities which make you happy whilst getting your mind off of your health condition. You can do anything like listening to music, reading a book or painting to stop thinking about your disease at least for a few moments every day.
- Have A Chat With Your Doctor:
If you find yourself unable to just shake off the stress of the disease and find yourself constantly worried because of one or the other symptom, it is a good idea to have an informal chat with your doctor once in a while. This can help to put your mind at ease from thinking that there is something wrong with your body. If it is indeed something which is worrisome, a doctor is the best person to suggest to you further course of action to treat your problem well. Thinking up worst case scenarios in your head in isolation will not do you any good in the long term so try to avoid forming that habit as much as possible.
- Keep Your Friends And Family Close:
Even if anyone from your friends or family does not suffer from your condition, they are the best people to lend emotional support to you, better than any doctor or strangers from a support group can. You may not be comfortable in sharing every detail of your problem with everyone so find a confidante among your social circle and lean on them for support whenever you feel like it. Share your worries with them as talking can really help in easing stress and distracting your mind.
- Know That It Will All Work Out Ultimately:
Like we have mentioned before in this article, it is really easy to get caught up with your immediate disease related problems. So what can benefit you in this case is to look at the bigger picture. Keep reminding yourself from time to time that as long as you are controlling your diet and eating your medicines at appropriate times you will most probably be fine. Needlessly worrying about what all can happen to you will do more harm than good. Make it a point to not get caught up in the mess of everyday numbers and focus on long term overall health and wellness.
While it can be quite challenging to manage the physical aspects of diabetes, it is as important to focus on the toll that it can have on your mental health as well. If you struggle with coming to terms with your disease, try to talk to people around you or your doctor. This will help you to feel so much better. Do share this article with someone that you know who suffers from diabetes related stress on a regular basis.