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Diabetes Burnout

R

Robert Henderson

Active Member
Messages
28
Managing type 2 diabetes can feel like a full-time job. And, like many demanding roles, it can lead to burnout that makes it hard to stay on track. While diabetes burnout is typical, I know there are some ways to recover from it.
So, how do you deal with it?
 
Robert Henderson said:
Managing type 2 diabetes can feel like a full-time job. And, like many demanding roles, it can lead to burnout that makes it hard to stay on track. While diabetes burnout is typical, I know there are some ways to recover from it.
So, how do you deal with it?
Click to expand...
I agree. After a decade since diagnosis I can look back at times of feeling burnt out. What helps me is coming on here, to people who understand and are supportive. Some of the benefit of the forum is knowledge, but a big benefit of the forum is it's non judgemental support from others. You are not alone with this, we understand.
 
Robert Henderson said:
Managing type 2 diabetes can feel like a full-time job. And, like many demanding roles, it can lead to burnout that makes it hard to stay on track. While diabetes burnout is typical, I know there are some ways to recover from it.
So, how do you deal with it?
Click to expand...

Not sure I would agree.
I eat great food that I love and protect my health, eyes and toes at the same time.
How could I get "burnout" from that?
 
@Robert Henderson hello Robert. How do you deal with it? That was your question. I have slipped off the low carb wagon a number of times and low carb/ keto is what I need to deal with my diabetes. Some would call it carb creep and others ‘burn out’. What has brought me back to it is feeling rough, realising I’m avoiding taking my blood sugar in the mornings and gaining weight. My state of mind is different too. Before if I had a slip for a day I would tell myself I had messed up and there was no point in trying to continue. Now I am much more sensible with myself. If I have a slip then I tell myself it is not the end of the world and I can simply do better on my next meal and I haven’t completely lost my way.
 
Acceptance of this condition can be hard. When I feel burnt out, I try to take it one meal at a time, and remember that struggling, and sometimes falling if the wagon, is human. It's not a character flaw, or a failure. I have just hit a wall, and that's ok. Most of the diabetics I know experience this from time to time.
 
lucylocket61 said:
Acceptance of this condition can be hard. When I feel burnt out, I try to take it one meal at a time, and remember that struggling, and sometimes falling if the wagon, is human. It's not a character flaw, or a failure. I have just hit a wall, and that's ok. Most of the diabetics I know experience this from time to time.
Click to expand...

It's the additional medical appointments and daily tasks that add up to "burn out". I also have unwell people in my family. To describe "burn out", I experience anxiety, fatigue, lack of snappy memory response, and lack of motivation. And I seem to have developed allergies -- in the past two or so years ago.
 
While many can find it easy to manage their diabetes by going (very) low carb this is not true for everyone. I certainly struggle with it from time to time.
Please consider which part of the forum you are in before posting. This thread is in the 'Emotional and Mental Health' part of the forum so it is more than likely that people who are struggling will read this thread. Further, everyone has other things in their life which may also be contributing to their mental health. Please do not be dismissive of anyone but particularly those who may be struggling whether because of burnout or for any other reason.
 
I go through phases of burnout too.
I try not to beat myself up and instead feel good at how well I have done in the better times.

I pick myself up by making a small change that I know will help me and focus on this change rather than all the other things that I have let slide.

I allow myself to accept how hard the struggle is, but then think how much harder it would be in the future if I lose a toe or eyesight etc. So, very slowly and laboriously I drag myself back up again.

It gets easier again once the downward spiral stops and turns into an upward one and it's so hard to make that initial step, but I know I will one day, so it may as well be today.
 
Robert Henderson said:
Managing type 2 diabetes can feel like a full-time job. And, like many demanding roles, it can lead to burnout that makes it hard to stay on track. While diabetes burnout is typical, I know there are some ways to recover from it.
So, how do you deal with it?
Click to expand...
Well being diagnosed decades now and suffered long before diagnosis I look back every so often through the years and pull from my best steady treatment and how it was achieved and allowed a steady healthy years. I emulate those things if my body can.
Now I'm older I hv other health problems that are not directly diabetes caused. They also deserve the same attention as my diabetes care. So I prioritise my diabetes care to ensure my other health problems don't suffer even more.
In fact I hv a few health problems and boy collectively they are truly exhausting but...... I carry on. I carry on taking all my meds, I carry on going to or listening to my hospital appointments and I carry on trying to stay upbeat and an attentive listener to my families needs.
I research as much as possible and listen to similar sufferers. All experience worth alot to me.
This forum is one of the best, if not the best for bringing similar people together. Listeners.
I'm in contact with e-friends in all my health conditions via social media closed sites etc. I find all their opinions valuable. Even those who disagree with my outlook. I'm fair but always make my own mind up. After all I'm the expert in how my body is making me feel or affecting my walking ability. Oh and my thinking ability too.

I hv mini burnouts and big whoppers. Luckily for me the NHS have been there and now since I live in the same area for more than 7 years. Medical intervention has saved my life. A few times.
Burnout can be a mental status but also a medically one.
I'm looking for help with my mobility and boy I just want to be able to skip with my 8yr old son and also old friends again !!!
Boy did I take it for granted. I was hugely mobile in pregnancy 9yrs ago and in moving house twice thereafter. I'm not being unreasonable to be back like that as I'm not old yet.
 
ickihun said:
Well being diagnosed decades now and suffered long before diagnosis I look back every so often through the years and pull from my best steady treatment and how it was achieved and allowed a steady healthy years. I emulate those things if my body can.
Now I'm older I hv other health problems that are not directly diabetes caused. They also deserve the same attention as my diabetes care. So I prioritise my diabetes care to ensure my other health problems don't suffer even more.
In fact I hv a few health problems and boy collectively they are truly exhausting but...... I carry on. I carry on taking all my meds, I carry on going to or listening to my hospital appointments and I carry on trying to stay upbeat and an attentive listener to my families needs.
I research as much as possible and listen to similar sufferers. All experience worth alot to me.
This forum is one of the best, if not the best for bringing similar people together. Listeners.
I'm in contact with e-friends in all my health conditions via social media closed sites etc. I find all their opinions valuable. Even those who disagree with my outlook. I'm fair but always make my own mind up. After all I'm the expert in how my body is making me feel or affecting my walking ability. Oh and my thinking ability too.

I hv mini burnouts and big whoppers. Luckily for me the NHS have been there and now since I live in the same area for more than 7 years. Medical intervention has saved my life. A few times.
Burnout can be a mental status but also a medically one.
I'm looking for help with my mobility and boy I just want to be able to skip with my 8yr old son and also old friends again !!!
Boy did I take it for granted. I was hugely mobile in pregnancy 9yrs ago and in moving house twice thereafter. I'm not being unreasonable to be back like that as I'm not old yet.
Click to expand...

It's so physical.
 
lucylocket61 said:
I agree. After a decade since diagnosis I can look back at times of feeling burnt out. What helps me is coming on here, to people who understand and are supportive. Some of the benefit of the forum is knowledge, but a big benefit of the forum is it's non judgemental support from others. You are not alone with this, we understand.
Click to expand...
Thank you, it's really important to talk to people who understand, don't judge, and support:)
 
mo53 said:
@Robert Henderson hello Robert. How do you deal with it? That was your question. I have slipped off the low carb wagon a number of times and low carb/ keto is what I need to deal with my diabetes. Some would call it carb creep and others ‘burn out’. What has brought me back to it is feeling rough, realising I’m avoiding taking my blood sugar in the mornings and gaining weight. My state of mind is different too. Before if I had a slip for a day I would tell myself I had messed up and there was no point in trying to continue. Now I am much more sensible with myself. If I have a slip then I tell myself it is not the end of the world and I can simply do better on my next meal and I haven’t completely lost my way.
Click to expand...
Hello, you do a great job.
I know your pain. If I skip my exercises or do not stick to the diet, I tell myself that now is not the time to go off the deep end trying to keep moving this road. But it didn't work out that way before. I understood that the main thing is to get yourself under control and not to give up.
 
ickihun said:
I totally agree. Physical burnout leads to mental burnout. External influences whether medical or non-medical can exacerbate it. Some more than others, right?
Click to expand...
Yes, personal characteristics can only exacerbate the effects of stressors. The root of any problem is its complete understanding and awareness of the steps taken, so you need to move in that direction.
 
Robert Henderson said:
Yes, personal characteristics can only exacerbate the effects of stressors. The root of any problem is its complete understanding and awareness of the steps taken, so you need to move in that direction.
Click to expand...
I find that even though I am very aware of the stressors and requirements of treating my condition, I still find it a challenge sometimes. I am wary of people who dismiss the concept of continuing stress and burnout as being a lack of understanding and awareness. |Its more than that. Our blood sugar levels affect every part of us, including our mental health.

Out of interest, have you a point you are moving towards? I get the sense you feel you have some knowledge to impart to those of us struggling, rather than being burnt out yourself and asking for support personally.
 
lucylocket61 said:
I find that even though I am very aware of the stressors and requirements of treating my condition, I still find it a challenge sometimes. I am wary of people who dismiss the concept of continuing stress and burnout as being a lack of understanding and awareness. |Its more than that. Our blood sugar levels affect every part of us, including our mental health.

Out of interest, have you a point you are moving towards? I get the sense you feel you have some knowledge to impart to those of us struggling, rather than being burnt out yourself and asking for support personally.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have a point I'm moving towards. I've burned out before, and I've asked for help. Then I started researching this topic, reading a lot about it. And now I don't let diabetes rule my life, but find a spot for it so that I can live a good life with this disease.
 
Robert Henderson said:
Managing type 2 diabetes can feel like a full-time job. And, like many demanding roles, it can lead to burnout that makes it hard to stay on track. While diabetes burnout is typical, I know there are some ways to recover from it.
So, how do you deal with it?
Click to expand...
Back story…
I eat and take medications for 3 conditions. Diabetes T2 (25 yrs) Coronary Artery Disease, (2x MI) and Cancer. The food intake requirements over the years are complicated by a condition called Irritable Bowel.

So how do I deal with my lapses in judgement come mealtime or exercise time? I don’t. I have too many issues to deal with and don’t need to add performance anxiety ( no not that kind) to the pile. I simply soldier on. What choice is there.

I sometimes ignore the food guidelines when urged to do so by my wonky digestion. It is quite painful and in order to get it sorted I have to resort to bland which can be high carb. So be it. When the gut feels good I tend to eat more of what I shouldn’t in quantities I am ashamed to admit to. So be it. I have to live with diabetes the key word being live. I refuse to be hard on myself but I also refuse to give up. I test regularly, I walk. I walk a lot. And when my numbers are high I walk more. I think the walking is for me the very best elixir. I enjoy it, its not difficult, nothing to learn or purchase except good footwear. No guidelines to meet. I started slow after my first MI. Since then I have walked across Spain 9 times. I walk by myself, with my wife and daughter and I walk the dog. My numbers always come down. It eases my gut. It raises my heart rate safely.
After a good walk things start to balance and I know I am headed in the right direction. Good eating follows. Always. I am loyal to my med schedule. My four commandments are 1. Walk
2. Meds 3. Test 4. Eat as best you can.
That is what works for me.
 
1pilgrim said:
. The food intake requirements over the years are complicated by a condition called Irritable Bowel.
Click to expand...
Irritable bowel was, for me, sorted by introducing milled seeds into my low carb way of eating. Up your 3 tablespoons a day initially now down to 1 tablespoons every other day. Was recommended by a gastroenterologist I saw. It's the type of fibre they contain apparently . That and reducing stress, which the walking seems to do for you
 
lucylocket61 said:
What helps me is coming on here, to people who understand and are supportive.
Click to expand...
Yes indeed. I am also lucky enough to have a T2 friend I see most weeks at the gym. He can eat more carbs than me, being a muscular bloke, and I am more focussed / obsessive about low carb than he is, but it's great to be able to have a little moan together every so often about our restricted diet and its inconveniences. I recommend anyone who can to seek out a real life diabetic buddy.
 
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