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Staying positive

Juicyj

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
9,270
Location
Worcestershire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Hypos, rude people, ignorance and grey days.
I read through so many posts on how people manage with type 1, getting better control and staying positive without letting it get you down and I know many struggle greatly with the endless process of testing, injecting, self management etc. I myself have found over the past week that my levels have hit the teens and it's left me tired, drained and deflated, I am blaming the cold weather as i've checked every other option such as infection, illness, stress, hormones and none are to blame. We all know deep down what we should be doing but sometimes it's easy to fall off the tightrope and it's getting the strength, inspiration to get back on it.

So I decided to write a thread and see how others manage to stay positive, do you have a mantra, song, process, piece of inspiration you can share ?
 
What a lovely idea for a thread.

I will be quite interested to see the responses here...having had a bit of a blip myself recently in terms of trying to stay positive.
 
Natalie1974 said:
What a lovely idea for a thread.

I will be quite interested to see the responses here...having had a bit of a blip myself recently in terms of trying to stay positive.
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Thanks Natalie. I know there isn't a magic wand for managing this condition, but sometimes we all need a little boost/bit of encouragement to stay on track, what works for some could work for others, so hoping some ideas may inspire others (and me at the moment too !!)
 
My advice is to not let it get to you. Perfect control is impossible every minute of every day, and all we can do is move forward.

I had highs yesterday after a dodgy site and it made me feel horrible and messed up my day. It's frustrating having to test and test and correct when you have a hundred other things to do, not to mention the unpleasant physical symptoms and irritability.

So deal with highs and move on - that's my advice. That and have a good old rant - even if it's just to yourself.
 
Sometimes I go buy myself something nice because I deserve it going through all this. It's hard excepting high numbers but the way it makes us feel physically is even harder.

I also come here and read because I know other people 'get it' and it reminds me it's just the nature of the beast and it's going to give me bad days.

I hope you feel better.
 
Juicyj said:
So I decided to write a thread and see how others manage to stay positive, do you have a mantra, song, process, piece of inspiration you can share ?
Click to expand...

Great idea @Juicyj

Type 1 diabetes can be an unpredictable beast and when you get days where your bg levels are all over the place it's best not to get too uptight, we have to remember that there's many factors that can effect bg control which we all know but sometimes diabetes can just throw a curve ball for no rhyme or reason, therefore it's best just to move on and put that day(s) behind you and forget about it.

For inspiration I just look at the many people who have lived with this condition for decades........ many whom belong to this forum, but life isn't all about diabetes and it's important to look at the other positive aspects of life like family & friends and the wonderful world around us.
 
I know for me personally...that when things start to get on top of me that I tend to withdraw from the forum...which is really daft because actually it's the time that I need the support of people who understand the most...I'm going to resolve to try and change this...talking helps...but it's better when people understand what you're banging on about
 
I write a good old rant on my diary, it really helps. Nobody is going to read it, so I can get really nasty (and wholly unfair, sometimes, but then my aim is letting out some steam) and after a while I feel better; actually, there are times when I go back to those entries just to have a little fun.
If I can, I go for a long walk and look at shop-windows, take some fresh hair, move around. Sometimes I write a letter or email to a friend so I can focus on someone else's life (it works, provided I let news about myself totally out of the picture). Some days I just spend a little time knitting, because it's comforting to see how my efforts can still result in what I had originally planned.
Much like Natalie1974, I seldom come to the forum when in the doldrums, but I don't think that's wrong, I just prefer to share happier moods and moments.
 
Here is my mantra:

Firstly i don't consider diabetic as disease. It is a body disorder activity. So i control it my self by taking regular insulin. I am following very strict rule on my diet. Since from one month, My insulin dose has been decreased by 70%.
Nowadays, i walk so much such, i eat very low curb food. I break the food in small quantity and take in 4 times days.

Whenever i get depression in my life, i see the life of physically challenged people, how much struggle they will do to survive for one days. Then also they will enjoy the life.

I hope very soon diabetic type 1 medicine will come for permanent cure. If we will manage it well then it cont harm so much to us. I believe in herbal product. I am using this all product everybody.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/Diabetes-herbal.html

I am getting very good response in my body. If i will be totally insulin independent, i will share with you people.
Have any one done experiment of this one ?
 
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I certainly believe in helping others, takes my mind off my personal challenges. I have accepted my own type 1 status, but I still get floored when my levels start rising to the teens with no rhyme or reason which I have now accepted happens 2-3 times a year. I find at these times taking insulin is like water to my body, unless I combine an hour or 2 gardening with a big hit of insulin, but that's only a temporary process to reduce my BG.

I find I also have a tendency to switch off when I am struggling, it's amazing the impact of what running high can do to you mentally.
 
I hit a wall last night....
I was watching Dr. Berstein videos and he has the tendency to be on the depressing side of blunt. He said something that just set me off and I was really feeling depressed..really sad.

Looking back, it happened because i was tired. I was worn out from travelling and then work, and then the gym and it was 1am and I just had no energy to deal with that comment he made.

To swing this into a positive light I have this take away - Don't think about it.

When you are feeling depressed or sad over something it is likely because you are over thinking it, which i find happens the most when I am already worn out and tired. Just go to bed. Switch to cat videos or fail blog until your cheered up and then sleep until you can handle it again.

That is my 'staying positive' tip for today - know what needs to be done, do it, and don't think about it.

If you stay in the moment and focus on making your moments good NOW they will all up to a positive life
 
It's difficult when this happens. Despite your best efforts, numbers in double figures keep coming.

I put my faith in the fact that if I keep doing the right things, the numbers will get better and yes, that repeatedly turnjs out to be the case.

The one thing that really makes a difference for me in getting stubborn sugar levels back into a sensible range, is exercise. If sugar levels have been too high for too long. I will try my best to drain my liver and muscles of their glycogen stores so that the glucose I eat gets soaked up into the muscles rather than just stagnating in the blood.

Harder to do if ill, but if it's a mild cold, I will try and force myself to get out and do some good hard walking or jogging for a sufficiently long enough period of time to make those sugar levels finally come down.
 

I would of like to of given you the 'Winner', 'Optimistic' and 'Like' badge all at once for this, well said !!
 
I actually do a 24-hour fast sometimes. No carb counting, much simpler blood sugar management, no "food dilemmas". BGLs are great (usually). I feel in control. It's a little break from diabetes. A side benefit is that it helps check my basal levels.

Note: fasting has a risk of depleting your glycogen stores, which means your body cannot raise your blood sugar if it goes low. Be careful if you want to try this.
 
For me it's a case of "F*** it" and carry on.

I'll elaborate a little. When it's going well, you can mostly ignore stuff. When it's going badly, it's often hard to. So if I need to let go, I focus on the other stuff I'm doing in the here and now and deal with the diabetes by rote. If it's having one of those days, then it can have one. Rather than spending too much time testing and trying to correct, I deliberately don't. I drop back into the more DAFNE-like approach of correct at meals, do the minimum to keep going and "Don't worry about it".

It stops you going mad, keeps you in the now and allows you to start the next day afresh.
 
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I tend to take it out on my bike , running shoes or rowing machine. Nothing like some strenuous exercise to change your outlook.
 
By temperament I'm a positive, upbeat, let's make it happen kind of person....but in latter years I've also tried incorporate an Attitude of Gratitude throughout life


Sent from my iPad using DCUK Forum mobile app
 
Wurst said:
I tend to take it out on my bike , running shoes or rowing machine. Nothing like some strenuous exercise to change your outlook.
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Yes this also works for me, helps to keep the BG levels down too
 

I do exactly the same Natalie.
 
I think I'm probably a natural optimist, so maybe am not best placed to answer this, but generally, if things happen, they happen - it wouldn't occur to me to beat myself up over high blood sugars (or whatever) - I just do what I need to do and get on. I'm lucky to have lots of other things going on in my life, which mean that I pretty much have just to suck it up and get on with stuff
 
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