I was inspired to write this week’s blog after participating in a zoom meeting and the attendees were talking about the long term impact on mental health that Covid-19 is having on individuals with diabetes. I didn’t realize how Covid has influenced diabetes management globally.
I am not a psychologist and don’t claim to be an expert on the topic but I have thought about this a lot since that meeting. So today I decided to share with you my thoughts on our hopes, fears and the patience needed by those of us with diabetes.
Both hope and fear are great motivators and both can promote growth in us. Hope and fear are felt in anticipation of either something good or bad happening. One creates a goal or outcome that we want to move away from (fear) and one is a goal that we move towards (hope).
We have all shared fear these past sixteen months because of COVID-19. The fear of contracting Covid-19 is foremost in our mind as we shop for essentials, we go to work and we miss our friends and family. We hope by following the guidelines our fear will not occur.
Patients with chronic diseases are known to have fears of illness or symptoms recurring or worsening. The fear of developing diabetes can begin many years before a diagnosis. Men and women who have a history of diabetes in their family fear they too many develop the disease. The hope related to this fear is that if I improve my habits such as increasing physical activity, eating nutritiously and losing weight then my hope of preventing/delaying diabetes may become a reality. Your fear becomes your hope and you need patience to see the outcome.
Fear and Hope examples might be as follows:
Fear-Hypoglycemia while driving and losing our driver's license
Hope-I will check my sugar before driving and during long drives to avoid hypoglycemia
Fear-loss of health insurance and can't afford diabetes supplies
Hope-I will work hard to keep my job and therefore my insurance will remain active and I can buy the supplies that I need
Fear-blindness, amputations, kidney failure
Hope-I will improve my diabetes management to avoid these complications
Fear-living alone and having night time hypoglycemia and not waking up
Hope-I will check my blood glucose before bed, during the night and have someone check in with me in the mornings when I am alone
As you see, we want to avoid these fears by taking “hope actions”. Every one of us, no doubt, can add to this list. However, the disappointment comes when these “hope actions” fail us despite our hard work.
Patience is another virtue that plays a part in our management. We have been hoping for a cure, artificial pancreas, islet transplantation and even insulin in a tablet form for years. These hopes are a lot more complicated than waiting for a sunny day to plant the garden. But what we can do is sow the seeds to let our governments know that diabetes is a serious disease and we need government support to help diabetes associations and researchers put an end to diabetes.
I’m not sure about you, but I never wanted to be treated special because of my disease, but what I did ask is that people understand my actions. I have always been upfront about my disease at work, to friends, at conferences, etc. There is no reason to be ashamed.
The COVID-19 fear is just one more to add to our list. We have read that individuals with diabetes have worse outcomes for which we don’t have all the answers at this time. It has been suggested that an A1C value of 8% or less is a favorable factor on the road to recovery if COVID-19 develops.
We can choose to live our life in the Fear Cycle or the Hope Cycle. When confronted with a new situation if you ask yourself questions like: what could go wrong, what if I fail, what if I get hurt, then we could be in the Fear Cycle. On the other hand if you recognize the potential in situations such as: what could go right, how will this opportunity help me to grow, who might I meet and what might I learn from this experience, then we are probably in the Hope cycle. We can’t stop growing because of our fear(s) and it is ok to ask for guidance.
So let’s continue our patience, continue to have fears which is natural, but also have hope that we can believe in ourselves and others to help us in this journey.
If you are having concerns about your well-being please reach out to someone or some group that can offer help, advice and some guidance. I am sure you are not alone with these emotions.
I chose a song today to encourage us to never give up on ourselves and others and that we can be proud of who we have become
#fear&hope
#fear&hopeconnection
#diabetesfears&hopes
This blog is not intended to replace medical information from your health care providers. It is for information purposes only.
If you have a topic you would like discussed, please let me know. I appreciate feedback.
References: my own feeling and experiences; links in the above discussion