When diabetes is cruel, be kind to yourself, to the people around you, and to other people’s ways of coping.
Summary
Diabetes is a bit of a beast. It can be very cruel at times. That’s when we need to be nice to ourselves, and also reach out and support the family and friends who get caught in the crossfire. Be kind to other people’s ways of coping too. If you lined up 100 people with T1D, we’d all have a different way of managing and coping with it. Fitter for Having It is my coping mechanism. When diabetes gets the better of me, I don’t fight it. But if someone else finds that fighting or battling, or something else, helps them, I’m not going to stand in their way.
Insight
A couple of years after my diagnosis, I was sitting in the waiting room at the diabetes clinic, looking concerned and probably a bit worried. An older lady with T1D noticed and reached out: “Hey young man, why the frown on your face?” I told her I didn’t have many ‘good’ readings, and that I was worried about reporting some ‘bad’ highs and lows to my doctor. She told me to be kind to myself, and to stop judging myself on blood glucose readings. “They’re not good or bad results,” she said. “They’re just high or low.” Be kind.
These Moves are drawn from lived experience and reflect my ‘Fitter for Having It’ approach.
They are not medical advice. Always consult qualified health professionals before adjusting your T1D plan.