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Changing how you look at diabetes can help you stay motivated to care for yourself without thinking you need to be perfect.
Changing your perspective
Managing diabetes every day can be an overwhelming task. If you feel frustrated with your progress or tired of tending to your condition, you may have diabetes burnout.
Remember, being perfect is not the goal.
Try to take it easy on yourself when you’re going through a rough patch. Focus on the progress you’ve made and celebrate the little changes you are making. Making small changes over time can have a lasting, positive impact on your health.
Make a “Plus List”
Make a list of 5 positive things you have going for you and share it with someone. For instance:
- Do you cook mostly healthy meals at home? That’s a plus!
- Do you do some kind of physical activity each week? That’s a plus!
- Don’t smoke? Another plus!
Put this list where you can see it. The next time you start to think “diabetes is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me,” this list will help you shift into a positive state of mind.
Look at what you have done and what you can do!
6 tips for preventing diabetes burnout
- Learn the signs. Burnout looks and feels different for everyone. How do you know when you’re burned out? You may have shrugged off your high blood sugar numbers, you may not care about the things you used to, or you may start eating not-so-healthy foods.
Learn the signs of burnout for you when you get overwhelmed with the demands of your daily routine.
- Identify triggers. Stress is a common trigger for diabetes burnout. When you have a lot going on in your life, take a step back and ask yourself what is causing your stress.
Learning some tips for managing stress can help you avoid burnout.
- Find a community. Belonging to a supportive community can be a comforting way to make your way through the challenges of diabetes. It can also be a source of ideas on how to manage your diabetes, make the changes you need to, and live well.
The American Diabetes Association’s Support Community is an online forum for people with diabetes to listen, learn, and share. However you choose to create community for yourself (groups, events, one-on-one), find people who understand what you’re going through and who you can share your feelings with.
- Work with your team. Kaiser Permanente has a team of people to support you through rough patches: doctors, nurses, dietitians, social workers, and educators. They can help you find ways to get back on track and start feeling more in control and enjoying life again.
- Nurture yourself. Create some “me” time to do something you love.
Be sure to block this time off on your calendar. Making time for yourself is just as important as a doctor’s visit or a meeting with your boss.
- Get support. Let others know how they can support and encourage your efforts to live healthy.
Family and friends may mean well and struggle to change their habits to meet your health needs. Help them by setting “health boundaries.” That means, firmly and clearly tell them how they can best support your success.
Where is your place of control?
Finding out you have diabetes can be a shock, and managing your condition can be a drain. You may feel a loss of control over your life and think, “There’s nothing I can do about my future.”
You may not always get to decide what happens to you, but you do get to decide how you deal with it.
It’s completely normal to feel defeated from time to time, and if you find yourself having similar thoughts, you may benefit from shifting your perspective — from an external place of control to an internal place of control.
From an internal place of control:
You make things happen.
You’re behind the wheel, calling the shots and controlling outcomes. You determine your future.
From an external place of control:
Things happen to you.
You feel as if the course of your life is determined by external factors. Despite your efforts, your fate is decided by circumstances beyond your control.
Bottom line
Changing your outlook can help you avoid diabetes burnout. By focusing on making things happen rather than letting things happen, you can positively shift your experience.