"Burnout” has become a popular word this year. People are talking about their “Covid-19 Burnout” and many diabetes articles have focused on “Diabetes Burnout”. The start of a new year makes us look back at the previous year and evaluate our good and bad experiences. Some people make New Year Resolutions but I have never been a big fan of that because I know if I break my resolution I will be annoyed with myself, even if it is something for which I have minimal control. I respect those who do and wish them all the best of luck.
Diabetes Burnout does exist but what does it really mean? If you look up the definition on the internet this is what you can find as a description: “Diabetes burnout is the term given to the state of disillusion, frustration and somewhat submission to the condition of diabetes. Burnout can be characterised by a person’s complete disregard for their blood sugar levels”.
For each of us “burnout” can have a different meaning and degree of severity. Some of the more common themes might include:
#1-Strong feelings of emotional and physical exhaustion. You have become tired of paying so much attention to every detail of your life day after day after day. You have become tired of calculating your daily dose of insulin based on your food intake, or remembering to change your infusion set or tired of blood glucose checking and being disappointed with the result. You may wonder “why me” and why can’t I take a break. (1)
#2-You separate yourself from your illness identity, self-care and from those in your support system. You don’t want to be known as a “diabetic” because people treat you differently or remind you that they made a special meal for you because of your diabetes. In this scenario, you experience the lack of motivation to manage your diabetes. You put your diabetes on “hold” for a little while. You also ignore those people who are normally involved in your care circle including your health care team by cancelling your appointment. (1)
#3- Factors that contribute to this burnout come from both yourself and your social environment. The constant burden of diabetes self-care and failure to achieve your goals of blood glucose management is a major contributor. The interruptions you experience throughout the day and night such as calibrating a pump, treating hypoglycemia or frequent urination can become a nuisance. There exists the culture of perfectionism in diabetes care which is rarely achieved I suspect. Until you live with the disease no one truly realizes what it is like to have to monitor yourself 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year after year after year. Always trying to achieve that perfect or near perfect goal can be frustrating especially when you have given it your everything. We have become so focused on perfect numbers, we may forget to keep ourselves in mind. (1)
The reading I did while preparing today’s discussion made me realize that I have had “diabetes burnout” from time to time. I always thought I was just feeling sorry for myself and I should smarten up and be thankful it is a disease that I can control (most of the time). I have never fully distanced myself from the disease but as I grow older I realize that one or two days out of control from time to time should not do any permanent damage.
There are many suggestions in the literature that offer tips for realizing and coping with diabetes burnout. I will mention a few of them below:
If you are suffering from the lack of motivation for self-care longer than one or two weeks, please pay attention to these feelings and talk to your support team and health care providers.
Be kind to yourself. Relax your expectations for a few days. Don’t use the words “good” or “bad” sugar. Set smaller goals and be proud of yourself when they have been achieved.
Talk to other people who have diabetes. I am sure you will find yourself not alone in this area of burnout. Sometimes just talking out loud about a situation makes the situation seem not as bad as you had thought. Remember, no one is perfect all the time.
Talk to your friends and support system that you had ignored for a while. Explain to them what you were going through. You will be surprised how supportive and understanding they will be. Remember, they want the best for you.
Writing down on paper the specifics of your burnout may prove useful. To know what changes you have to make you must understand what was causing your burnout.
If the cost of having diabetes is contributing to your burnout, check with the health-care team or the local chapter of Diabetes Canada or other Diabetes Associations in your country/state that may be able to connect you to the right organization or program to offer help. Sometimes we just have to ask.
Make changes one at a time and these changes should take care of you. This might mean finding a new support system and health-care team or maybe widening your blood glucose goals. Create a realistic plan. If checking blood glucose 6 times a day was a cause of your burnout then start at once or twice a day for a few days and move forward from there.
Diabetes burnout is not depression and it is important to understand the difference. The minute you start to say something about burnout people might think you are depressed but this is not always the case. However, if your burnout is impacting other areas of your life beyond your diabetes management, then it may be time to talk to a mental health professional.
Give yourself credit for what you do achieve. Diabetes management is no small task.
If you want to read more about Mental Health and Diabetes I suggest this Diabetes Canada Reference.
My experience with a number of health professionals over the years has often upset me more than I like to admit. However, I have noticed a big change in recent years in provider attitudes towards my care in that they don’t always focus the blame on me when I don’t reach my goals. I encourage all providers not to make their patients feel like they are being judged.
Managing diabetes is like a full time job however with the job you get days off and don’t work 24 hours every day. Diabetes gives us no time off and brings disappointments and rewards along the road to management.
Be proud of what you achieve. Taking care of your overall health including diabetes. Be realistic and give yourself a tiny break when you can after discussing this with your health providers.
This information is not intended to replace information from your health-care professional(s). References:
Why diabetes burnout happens in some and not in everyone is still an area where more research is needed. Good luck everyone and take care and pay attention to your feelings. #burnout&diabetes
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