Let’s be honest. There is a lot of work associated with diabetes self-management. And despite best efforts, sometimes blood sugars just land in the above target or below target zone. That’s why we are trying to move away from using the term “control”, because it suggests that a person can take certain actions to get blood sugars on target all the time, and that’s just not true. At any given time, there are dozens of factors affecting blood sugar including; body temperature, stress levels, glucagon release, activity level, undigested food, metabolic rate, time since eating and many more.

Plus, diabetes self-management can be very burdensome, especially when you add on the emotional responses and expectations. Here is how a diabetes specialist, Heather Beiden Jacobs, described the burden of daily self-management.

Let’s imagine that each self-care activity is a different size rock that a person carries around in their diabetes backpack.  They check their blood sugar before breakfast and it’s above target.  The first rock in the backpack is pretty heavy because it holds the action of evaluating their blood sugar PLUS the emotions around the number being above their target.  They take some insulin (next rock) and skip breakfast and head to work.  They get low blood sugar while at a meeting and need to leave to get a snack from the vending machine (soda).  This is another heavy rock, because not only did they have to manage a low, but there can also be a lot of big feelings around letting blood sugars go too low. Throughout the rest of the day, they add several more rocks to their backpack which can make things can start getting really heavy and burdensome.

If this kind of day only happens occasionally then their backpack is usually pretty light and manageable. But, if day after day the blood sugars are fluctuating a lot and the person can’t seem to get them on target, the backpack becomes very heavy and unwieldy.

That’s when the negative and judgmental emotions can creep in, these are the ones that are usually associated with feeling like they are not doing enough to manage their diabetes. That no matter what, blood sugars are “out of control”.

This can dramatically impact the daily quality of life and their ability to self-manage.  A person might feel like, why bother? They might even take a diabetes vacation. We want to support people on their diabetes self-management journey and help them minimize distress and burnout. Coach Beverly listened to a bunch of great podcasts by the experts in the field and compiled a summary of the suggestions plus added in a few of her own garnered from decades of supporting people through “diabetes vacations”.

12 Reframes to Help with Diabetes Burnout or Distress

• It’s not your fault you have diabetes. It’s not your fault your pancreas doesn’t work right.
• You can’t control your blood sugars all the time, but you can take actions to manage your diabetes to the best of your ability.
• Blood sugars are not good or bad, they are just numbers that inform us of what action is needed next.
• Listen to your self-talk.  It is tempting to be overly self-critical and blame ourselves.  Try to imagine you are coaching a friend with diabetes. What advice or coaching would you provide?
• Diabetes isn’t about perfect or getting it right all the time. Its about taking baby steps to make small improvements and keep safe.  
• Take short mental breaks from your diabetes – walk outside, enjoy a hobby, listen to music, volunteer, join a group.
• Talk about your feelings to friends and family.  Let them know how to help you succeed and things that don’t help.
• Keep active, nourish your body, try meditation, enjoy oxygen cocktails, get out in nature.
• Remind yourself of all the work you ARE doing to manage your diabetes
• Join diabetes camps, social media groups, find your people, your community.
• Consider connecting with a mental health professional.
• Remember, you are not alone. You are resilient. You are not your blood sugars. You got this.  Baby Steps.

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Want to learn more about this topic?

Enroll in our Level 2 | Assessing and Promoting Well-Being: From Population Health to a Person-Centered Approach Standards | 1.5 CEs

Annual Update Recorded on December 21st

This presentation will include the latest information on Social Determinants of health, assessment strategies, and approaches. We will explore the psychosocial issues that can discourage individuals from adopting healthier behaviors and provides strategies to identify and overcome these barriers. Life studies are used to apply theory to real-life situations. A great course for anyone in the field of diabetes education or for those looking for a new perspective on assessment and coping strategies.

Objectives:

1. State strategies to assess and address social determinants of health
2. Discuss health care delivery systems using a person-centered approach
3. List screening tools that can help detect depression, trauma, and cognitive decline
4. Describe psycho-social and emotional barriers to diabetes self-management
5. Provide strategies for healthcare professionals to identify and overcome barriers to self-care

Intended Audience:  A great course for healthcare professionals in the field of diabetes education looking for a straightforward explanation of identification and treatment of hyperglycemic crises.

Instructor: Beverly Thomassian RN, MPH, CDCES, BC-ADM is a working educator and a nationally recognized diabetes expert.

Enroll in our entire Level 2 – Standards of Care to join us for the below 2022 Live Webinar Updates. All courses air at 11:30 a.m. (PST)

• December 15, 2021 – Hyperglycemic Crises, DKA & HHS Standards | 1.0 CE
• December 21, 2021 – Assessing and Promoting Well-Being: From Population Health to a Person-Centered Approach Standards | 1.5 CEs
• February 3, 2022 – ADA Standards of Care | 2.0 CEs
• March 24, 2022 – Meds Management for Type 2 – 1.5 CEs
• March 29, 2022 – Lower Extremity Assessment 1.5 CEs
• April 26, 2022 – Microvascular Complications, Eye, Kidney Nerve Disease 1.5 CEs
• April 28, 2022 – Critical Assessment of Diabetes Patient 2.0 CEs
• May 10, 2022 – Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes Standards 1.5 CEs
• May 12, 2022 – Older Adults and DIabetes 1.5 CEs
• May 17, 2022 – Tots to Teens – Diabetes Standards 1.5 CEs
• May 19, 2022 – Pregnancy and Diabetes 1.5 CEs
• May 26, 2022 – Hospital and Hyperglycemia 1.5 CEs
• July 21, 2022 – Setting up a Successful Diabetes Program 1.5 CEs

All hours earned count toward your CDCES Accreditation Information

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