Ask Ginger - How do I beat the "Diabetes Blues"

Hey Ginger,

I've had diabetes for six years. At first, it was okay and I did a pretty good job. I'm in high school now and my diabetes really makes me angry, and kind of depressed. I know it's not the most awful thing to have, but I guess I just wish I knew how I could be happier.

-Anonymous

Hey there, fellow ‘betes Blogger!

Sounds like a case of the "Diabetes Blues" to me. And I don't blame you, because it's a major burden to be in control of your own blood sugar day in and day out while many other people don't have to think twice about how many carbs they're eating or how high their blood sugar is. It's a lot of work.

And I don't think it's ever going to be "easy," but I do think there are a lot of things you can do to help remind yourself that diabetes is just one of the challenges in your life! Everybody has challenges. For some people, it's a disease like cancer or diabetes. Maybe paralysis or another type of physical handicap. Some people struggle with addictions or parents with addictions. Some people have no parents at all - that's certainly a challenge, too! The point is: we all have at least one major challenge in our life, and for some people, they face many more challenges all at the same time.

When I find myself getting stressed or upset over my diabetes, I try to seek out people or things that I know remind me of how lucky I am to still be able to do so much while still having this major disease. Quite simply, I'm darn lucky to be alive! I'm lucky to have fingers and toes, really ridiculous brothers, sisters who are always there, friends who make me laugh so hard I almost pee my pants. I'm lucky! So diabetes, in the bigger picture, is just another part of my life and some days it's easy, some days it's hard.

On those harder days, though, I make an effort to help myself; maybe through exercise or hanging out with friends, talking to my brother on the phone or reading thoughtful and uplifting books. I often read Bruce Lee's "Striking Thoughts." He's more known for his martial arts, but he considered himself a philosopher more than anything else.  A few quotes of his I really love are:

"Change is from inner to outer. We start by dissolving our attitude, not by altering our conditions."

"What you habitually think largely determines what you will ultimately become."

What he means is that sometimes we can't control what's going on around us, but we can control how we look at it through our attitudes. If you continue to think negative things and especially negative things about yourself, you will only produce more negativity in your life. Positive thoughts will inevitably lead to positive events in your life, but you've got to make the effort and you've got to believe in yourself, too!

One more from Bruce: "Be like water."

Bruce Lee often emphasized the idea of being "like water" because water is flexible; it flows where it needs to, it adapts quickly. In diabetes, we often have to rearrange everything in order to keep ourselves healthy. If my blood sugar is suddenly really low before a basketball game, I have to sit down, eat some carbs and wait. I have to be flexible and adapt to the situation.