A guest post on anxiety and depression

As many of you know I am among the many who struggle with depression and anxiety along with my diabetes. A lot (not all) is a symptom of diabetes. I blog about it from time to time and it has allowed me to connect with a few similar diabetics out there which has helped.

I was recently contacted by Ryan Rivera at Calm Clinic. and he offered to write me a guest post about coping with depression and anxiety as they relate to diabetes. There is a lot of useful information on his website which I had the opportunity to peruse through.

I just want to make ONE note so as not to confuse the D-folks alike out there. This guest post is addressed to diabetes in general and doesn't specify between which types. I found it to be useful information once I ignored the comments about diet and nutrition.

Please enjoy.

Tips to Reduce Diabetic Anxiety and Depression

Diabetes is a kind of disease that calls for major changes in the sufferer’s life if he or she intends to manage it well and live with the disease. When you have this disease, your life will surely turn upside-down. You will need to make a lot of changes and adjustments. Because of these, sufferers often fall into a pit of anxiety and depression.

But you don’t really need to fret and there’s no need to let it control your life. Yes, it may interrupt your workday and you will need to revamp your diet. And the daily checking of blood sugar levels and inspecting your feet during daily baths can be quite cumbersome. This disease can also be quite expensive as there are specialized medications such as insulin injections and diet requirement you need to comply to. But despite all these, life with diabetes doesn’t have to be all gloomy and scary. There are plenty of ways you can integrate these changes into your daily routine. Here are some tips to help you deal with it successfully.

Take It One Day at a Time

So you have diabetes, now what? Surely, when the doctor broke the news to you, wheels were turning in your head about what’s going to happen. You probably thought about stuff you heard from friends or family who have had the disease and it’s the negative things that you remember most. Now that’s not going to do you any good. You need to take things slowly and take it one day at a time. Ask your doctor about what you can do to live with it, and take it from there.  

Understand It

Before torturing yourself thinking about what your future could be and what’s going to happen to you now that you have the disease (this is the usual path to depression and anxiety), stop yourself and think. We are only fearful of something we do not fully understand. So the best approach here is to face your fear of the disease and its future implications on your life and learn everything there is to learn about it. Most especially, learn about the best ways that you can control it.

Look At The Bright Side

And when you’ve learned everything there is to learn about your disease, stop thinking of it as a disease! Sure, there are a lot of changes in your food intake, but hey, you don’t have to think of it as “restrictions” or “doctor’s orders”. Think of it as your chance to live a healthier lifestyle. You diet will usually contain healthy food anyway. And you will need to do daily exercises. If you are told to do daily insulin injections, think of it as your daily dose of supplements. The more that you don’t think about your condition as a disease, the less likely you are to sink into depression.

Take it as a challenge

According to studies, majority of people with diabetes get depressed and anxious because of the wrong outlook in life. Most people see it as a curse, a consequence for wrong choices and an unhealthy lifestyle in the past. But that shouldn’t be the case (because, really, most of it is hereditary). You should take it as a challenge and face it head on. Refuse to be defeated and find ways to control it.

Make It Your Responsibility

As they say, be responsible of your body. Take to heart the changes and adjustments you need to make in your life and make it your responsibility. Never rely on others to help you deal with the disease. After all, there will not be anyone else to blame but yourself if things go wrong. And you wouldn’t want to beat yourself up on it, too.  

Enjoy it

You may find this morbid, but you should enjoy your condition. Being diabetic is not all that bad; there are a lot of good things about it, too. The best way to cope with anxiety that stems from this disease is to enjoy it. Do you know that a low-glucose diet (the diet you’ll be adjusting to when you have this disease) can help you maintain your figure? That’s right. In fact, this is what most nutritionists suggest for people who want to lose weight and keep the weight off. See what I mean when I say enjoy your condition? People spend a lot of money just to be able to do this type of diet, while you are entitled to it because of your condition.

Be Aware

Once you’ve gotten the hang of living with this condition, be informed and be aware. Always look for information about your disease. Check with your community if there are groups or organizations that aim to give information and updates on the disease and keep yourself informed.

Control

Dealing with this disease the right way is to take control of your life. You don’t need to be always fearful and anxious when diagnosed with the disease. Don’t let it control your life. Remember how your diet, medication, and lifestyle needs to be always in check once you start living with the disease? That control is in your hands, that itself is your power over the disease and whatever depression and anxiety it brings.

Ryan Rivera is an anxiety survivor and was able to successfully deal with it through natural and alternative anxiety treatment methods. Learn more all about it at http://www.calmclinic.com/.