Inspirational “One Small Positive Thought” Black Ink Coffee Cup
Diabetes, like any other disease or health condition, has the potential to make us grow.
That does not mean that it is not sometimes very hard to live with diabetes,however having a lot of negative emotions and thoughts about our diabetes is clearly not going to get us out of this situation.
On the contrary, it would surely worsen it!
Trying to “fight” diabetes is surely not the best way to deal with it,i think the best concept is to believe that whatever you’re doing to treat your illness is helping you overcome it.
We should listen to the advice given to us by our doctor on medication, diet and exercise and educate ourselves on all aspects of diabetes.
No matter how negative you perceive your life right now, there is surely something you can be grateful for.
Start there and see how, little by little, you’ll think of more things to be grateful for.
For a long time I used to think of diabetes as a negative thing in my life but over the years I have come to realise that it has brought me positive things too.
So here are some good things about having diabetes. (Please note there is a difference between saying having diabetes is a good thing, and that there can be good things about having diabetes.)
1.You are more in touch with your body.
Having diabetes means not only knowing what your blood sugar levels are every day, but “reading” your body and recognizing when your sugar levels may be too low and paying attention to changes in your vision, feeling in your fingers and toes, energy level, body weight, and more.
You have more insight into how you react to certain stimuli, because you have to know how your body’s going to react to anything you put into it
Being more aware of your body and its changes allows you to recognize when something may be amiss and to take action before the situation progresses, such as complications associated with diabetes.
2.You are encouraged to try new foods.
Chances are you were advised to make some significant dietary changes when you were diagnosed with diabetes. Rather than viewing the diagnosis as the time to eliminate favorites from your menu, consider how to adopt some new foods to take their place.
It’s not about never eating ice cream again; it’s about trying and discovering new desserts.
As people with diabetes, our emphasis is on food consumption as science.
We know that good, wholesome food in its natural state brings health to everyone.
We become better at making proper food choices.
Make a list of new foods that are good for diabetes and try one new one each week.
3.You can make new friends.
Millions of people have diabetes, and there are support groups like this website where you can share your fears, concerns, ideas, recipes, and other topics about diabetes.
4.You are encouraged to exercise more.
Let’s face it: it can be difficult to motivate yourself to exercise, and having diabetes is an important reason to get up and move.
You don’t have to exercise alone: bring along a friend, join an aerobics class, walk during lunch, find a diabetes support group where members get together and exercise.
5.You can learn new cooking skills.
The Diabetic Cookbook: 100 Diabetic Friendly Easy to Cook Recipes: Volume 1
There’s no shortage of books or websites on easy recipes for diabetes. You can learn new ways to prepare old favorites as well as how to incorporate foods low on the glycemic scale into your daily menu.
6.You can politely avoid food.
Whenever you want to avoid eating something someone has made you can say, “I can’t eat that because of my diabetes.”
On long haul flights overseas, by letting the airline know that you need a diabetic meal, you get served first and often the food is better than what the general public are getting!
7.You can get healthier.
Having diabetes means, by definition, that you have a health problem. But with that said, the work that goes into managing diabetes can actually improve your wellbeing in other ways.
If you follow the diet, weight loss, exercise, and stress management advice for people with diabetes, you can improve not only your management of diabetes, but your overall health as well.
Managing diabetes means going to your doctor for regular checkups and screenings.
It means eating fewer refined and processed carbohydrates.
It means not smoking, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight.
While diabetes certainly has the potential to wreak havoc on your health, it also forces you to pay attention to it.
Getting regular blood tests we are able to catch other issues before they become too big (cholesterol being a good example).
Having diabetes encouraged me to keep up healthier habits than many non-diabetic people.
8.You can become more disciplined.
Being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes forced me to become more responsible and accountable for myself before my peers.
If you want to live a full, healthy life with diabetes, then you need to follow the advice of your healthcare providers.
That requires discipline, and that’s a skill that comes in handy in nearly every aspect of your life: at home or work, learning new skills, and as an example for your family and friends.
9.Your family can get healthier.
If you need to follow a more healthful diet and lifestyle, why not make it a family affair? That way everyone can benefit from a more balanced and nutritious diet, regular exercise, and weight control. Everyone wins.
10.You can be a positive role model.
Following a healthy eating program, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and paying attention to your overall health on a daily basis are excellent lessons for people.
Your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors may benefit from seeing your positive ways of coping with and managing diabetes.
You could be an inspiration for others and help them deal with diabetes.
Diabetes has helped me find my voice. I have learned to fight for myself as well as others!
11.An increased tolerance for needles
Being diagnosed with diabetes makes your tolerance for needles go way up.
12.Business ideas
Living with diabetes makes you an expert in living with diabetes, and that in turn can give you business ideas (or job opportunities) that someone without diabetes might not have.
Just by talking the language of diabetes every day, you will be more familiar with medical terminology than the average person.
This gives an advantage in any health care related job and in science subjects.
Plenty of people have used their personal experience to launch diabetes-inspired businesses, like this website.
13.Giving me the Motivation to Be the Best I Can Be
You get some great life skills,its a life long condition that requires lots of patience, persistence and strength of will to manage.
It makes you become a stronger person and overcome obstacles .
Diabetes taught me at an early age how to persevere using strength and determination to overcome adversity, to get back on my feet when setbacks occur.
14.Learning Compassion for Others—as Well as for Myself
When someone around me exhibits troubling behavior such as anger or an inability to concentrate,
I have compassion, realizing that this behavior could be physical in origin—the result of illness such as diabetes,family or work problems, hunger, tiredness,or even a vitamin deficiency .
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW FOR MORE THOUGHTS FROM ANOTHER TYPE ONE DIABETIC!
If you have any information,questions, or feedback you would like to include in this post.
Please email momo19@diabetessupportsite.com or leave your comments below.