Diabetes anxiety has been a large part of my life for the last couple of years. I felt that numbers were a reflection on me personally, and that bad numbers meant that I was a useless person. It got to the point where my life was taken over by negative thoughts. It spread to everything number related - money, the petrol gauge in my car, all kinds of things.
I have had counselling, specifically Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and it has totally changed the way that I'm handling my diabetes. It has allowed me to realise that I can control it, but also that the numbers are just a guideline to how things are at the moment, and have no reflection on me as a person. I too found that some people were very judgy, but following on from CBT, I have explained to my GP exactly what has been going on, what my anxieties were, and how my treatment from the NHS had affected me. This has made the world of difference. I now get a call once a month from a very nice GP at my practice, who checks up on me, checks my numbers, and listens.
I understand that counselling is not for everyone, but if you can give it a go, it does really help with the anxiety.