Did you know living with diabetes has an emotional angle?
For people living with diabetes, managing their emotional health can be as challenging as keeping their blood glucose levels under control. According to Joslin diabetes organisation USA, people with diabetes are much more likely to have an anxiety disorder or get into depression.
Research indicates, people with diabetes may start neglecting their diet plans, stop monitoring glucose levels, or revert to old unhealthy habits. On the other hand, families of people with diabetes may also find it difficult to cope with this condition.
So friends, family members, let’s read on to explore ways to cope up with emotional stress and living with diabetes.
Acceptance
According to a research in Denmark, people living with diabetes, take it as a “psychological burden”. And family members specially the ones who are closer to the patient remain stressed out and think negatively about diabetes, which in turn may affect their quality of life.
Scientific studies reveal, acknowledging this condition is the first and foremost key to manage diabetes. One must take help of family, and most importantly a diabetologist or a certified diabetic educator, to equip yourself and your partner with all information you may need to know, to lead a healthy life.
Talking to your partner/family members
It is advisable to talk your heart out. Research hints, talking about diabetes or how you feel with diabetes with your partner or family member makes things more comfortable, not only for yourself but also your loved ones to understand your feelings.
Research studies also reveals that, mutually planning diabetes management schedules can be of great help for you and your partner in the path of living happily with this condition. With family support, management of diabetes becomes a lot easier and is found to be twice more successful than self- managed programmes.
Roller coaster of emotions may occur and it’s okay
According to psychologist Mariella meachen, people with diabetes undergo deep psychological challenges like Grief, Denial, Anxiety, shame and guilt.
Research hints, people living with diabetes may usually end up blaming themselves, other family members, or their health-care practitioners for their erratic glucose levels. They may also simply feel like giving up. On the contrary studies reveal, even family members are more likely to feel burned out because of the exhaustive demands of diabetes management.
Some people may have particularly felt depressed and frightened when a new development occurs such as vision blurring, skin pigmentation, or simple cuts not healing speedily.
It is natural to have feelings like anxiety, anger, frustration, stress, hunger cravings; studies reveal almost everyone who has diabetes may have felt frustrated and distressed at a point in their lives.
But if the feelings like anxiety, depression, and extreme mood swings persist for more than two weeks, as a partner/ family member you are advised to seek help immediately from a certified diabetic educator or a medical counsellor to deal with this condition.
Behavioural changes works the best with family support
Studies reveal, distress caused by diabetes may lead to behavioural changes such as mood fluctuations, unhappiness, arguments and fights amongst you and your partner. Research also says that, excessive nagging and denying your partner may also backfire and lead to poor diabetes management.
Research suggests, to make your diabetes management a huge success, family should positively motivate each other in achieving activity goals. For example by exercising together, by eating together, diabetes diet is considered a very healthy diet and can be easily consumed by everyone in the family, except growing children.
Understanding the emotional challenges of the patient as well as the caregivers is one of the most important aspect in managing this condition.
De-stress yourself and your partner
Families and people living with diabetes share their own shares of “stress” and emotions. According to American Diabetes Association Stress directly affects the Immune system, Digestive system, Reproductive system, and the renal system (kidney). ADA also advocates that stress leads to poor decision making, high blood glucose levels, negative thinking, and low self-esteem in people with diabetes. And hence it’s highly recommended to keep yourself and your partner away from stress.
Take up recreational activities like, swimming, watching movies, socialising, doing yoga, meditation, exercising together, or simply indulging in pampering yourself and your partner with de-stressing therapies to kick stress away from your systems.
Join a community
You and your partner may also join a diabetes community, where you will find that you are not alone! Studies suggest, by sharing your experiences or discussing with people facing similar conditions helps in coping up with emotional challenges in a better way. Joining a community is not only helpful in dealing with emotional turmoil’s but is also a great way to know and discover new things and stay motivated.
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25890864
www.diabetes.co.uk
www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/managing-diabetes/emotional-health/eight-tips-for-managing-diabetes-distress/
www.diabetes.org
www.everydayhealth.com
