I can quite see why new year resolutions exist; a clean slate and the fact that the Christmas period sometimes allows a little extra time for reflection seem to be the main ones. Then with diabetes there can be an extra reason if Christmas means that blood sugars and control has wavered.
I’ve noticed two ways in which a resolution can be made:
- The first where you feel some kind of societal pressure.
- The second where the resolution comes from within.
In most cases, the second seems to be by far the most effective.
How many of us have said to ourselves something like, “Well I should probably make one ‘cause it’s New Year and that” only for the resolution to crash and burn before January’s out.
A resolution from within, because you genuinely want to sort something out, stands a good chance though. 🙂
Pushing commitment into action
On the both the type 1 and type 2 diabetes forums the new year has seen a number of concerted efforts to get things into line.
Here’s Nick: “Today is the start of my new year, I cannot wait to get my life on track, I just need a bit of friendly guidance.”
And Patch: “Starting Jan 4th this year, I’ve attacked my T2 with a vengeance!”
The struggle is the measure of the challenge
Often the start of a resolution may often seem embarrassingly easy. You might even be tempted to make things a little more challenging for yourself. Be wary though. There will very often come a point, often from seemingly out of the blue, whereby things start to get tricky all of a sudden.
It’s how you deal with the tricky period that really counts. If you’re committed to the task, then aim to see out this tricky period, and -if you stick to guns- the experience you pick up will likely be invaluable.