Contributed by: Healthians Team
4 interesting facts about diabetes
- Being overweight and having diabetes does not go hand in hand.
- Mood swings are common when the blood sugar level drops
- Diabetes has no cure. However, it can be managed by taking preventive measures
- There are four types of diabetes and all are treated differently
Introduction
Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires everyday management. The effort includes counting carbs, checking blood sugar levels, exercising, taking medicines, eating healthy foods, and occasionally going to the doctor.
But sometimes, the efforts made to control diabetes can wear a person out, making him or her feel frustrated and defeated by the disease, which leads to ignoring the treatment plans.
This situation can give rise to diabetes burnout – a condition in which people get extremely tired and frustrated from their disease management lifestyle, and tend to skip diabetes care for a while or maybe for a long time.
The feeling is completely understandable. But neglecting diabetes care is never a good choice as it can severely impact your health in the long run and even become life-threatening.
To understand more about diabetes burnout and its management, we bring you the signs of this phenomenon that you should not ignore and some important measures that can help in managing the condition.
Are you burned out?
To understand whether or not you are burned out, you first need to learn about the early signs which often include the things you’re doing, such as:
- Not taking the medicines on time and ignoring them frequently
- Not keeping an eye on the blood sugar levels
- Not following diabetes management routine, such as exercising and sticking to the prescribed meal plan
Diabetes burnout can be easily triggered by an event or situation that you may or may not be able to avoid. Some of these situations include:
- Stress (family or job related) that makes your health seem less important
- Expenses involved in managing the disease
- Feeling worn out after years of managing your condition
- Getting affected by any other chronic disease
- Feeling alone or isolated
Here’s how you can manage diabetes burnout
If you are experiencing the signs of diabetes burnout, don’t wait until it gets worse. This will only deteriorate your health and can even become life-threatening.
The following tips can help you overcome the feeling of being worn out, and bounce back to the healthy lifestyle of diabetes management.
- Don’t aim for the perfect score
It’s almost impossible to attain the perfect blood glucose levels as it changes after every meal you eat and after every time you workout.
Although aiming for the target range is good, however, you should be open to accepting the fluctuations that can occur even when you’ve given your best.
You will feel less frustrated after accepting the fact that attaining the perfect blood glucose levels is simply out of your control.
- Accept your feelings
Diabetes management can sometimes be frustrating, making you feel burnout. But the condition does not rise abruptly and you can gradually experience its onset.
Emotions like frustration, anger, worry, and discouragement occur more frequently if you are suffering from chronic ailments like diabetes. The negative emotions happen mainly due to stress, a lack of support, or if you are unable to give sufficient time to yourself.
Measures like talking to your doctor, making lifestyle changes, sharing what you feel with your family, and inviting a friend for a walk are some of the most effective measures to address diabetes burnout.
- Take one step at a time
When it comes to goals, especially health-related, aiming high isn’t bad, but take one step at a time and give yourself the time to attain them.
For instance – if your goal is to lower your blood sugar levels, break it into small steps, like starting with drinking more water and cutting short on sweet drinks.
- Take a break
Following the same routine for a long time can be overwhelming. But, some occasional gaps like a break from your regular meal plan or checking your blood sugar levels less frequently can help in reducing the chances of diabetes burnout.
But play it safe! Ask your doctor to make a safe plan for you and don’t forget to inform someone close to you about your plans, to help you if there’s a problem.
- Join a support group
Joining a support group that includes people who suffer from diabetes can prove to be of great help. This can help you reduce the feeling of loneliness and minimize the chances of burnout.
Ask your doctor about support groups near you and you can also join online diabetes support groups as well.
Final thoughts
With diabetes or any other ailment, there always remains a possibility of disease management fatigue. But to stay steer clear of burnout, you need to recognize them and stay prepared for managing them.
The above-mentioned signs of diabetes burnout are some of the prominent ones you can experience due to years of disease care.
Following the suggested tips can help you reduce or even avoid diabetes burnout while keeping you on a path of a positive disease management routine.
Being a diabetic can certainly be hard but it’s not the end of the world. With effective diabetes management techniques, you can manage the illnesses and the related diabetes-burnout in a more controlled manner.
At the same, remember that diabetes can lead to other medical issues as well. Hence, it’s vital for you to stay on top of your health with regular health checkups, as the first line of preventive defence.
