Navigating blood sugars with diabetes can take a significant emotional toll. No matter how well you thought you counted your carbs, it could feel that the wind is blowing outside too hard and it is now having an impact on your blood sugar levels.
I can’t tell you how many times myself or a client has looked at a meter or our dexcoms and say “this makes no sense.” This is the most frustrating part of diabetes and can lead you to feel incredibly defeated. You are not alone!
The next time your blood sugars have a mind of its own, or the moon has your numbers out of range try these techniques.
Practice Deep Breathing:
Taking several deep breaths can help relax both your mind and body. When your mind starts racing with all the reasons why your blood sugar is not responding the way you wish it was, your bodies natural fight and flight response kicks in and can actually cause your sugars to go higher! So instead, take a deep inhale in and hold for a few seconds and repeat. Continue until you feel more calm and less overwhelmed. A great structured breathing technique is 4-square breathing.
Use the energy:
Take a walk, clean something in your house, call a friend. Take some of that nervous or frustrated energy and apply it towards something meaningful rather then focusing on the numbers slowly or double arrows up changing on you. Keeping your mind and body distracted helps reduce your stress response and will slow down the impact of stress on your blood sugars. Plus, it helps you maintain focus on what you have to do to get yourself back in range!
Use positive talk:
When your blood sugar is out of range, remind yourself that you are not a pancreas. The pancreas is a complex organ and we are dealing with so many out of our control factors. You are doing the best you can given all the data you know!
Sometimes you cannot control the situation or circumstance happening to you, but you can choose how to react and how you feel in these situations. Your blood sugars are just data points telling you where you are going. Take note, respond as needed, and keep living your best life!
For support on how to manage the emotional drain of diabetes reach out to Dr. Amanda Comstock, Clinical Psychologist specializing in type 1 diabetes at Unwavering Counseling.