http://Psyching Out Diabetes: A Positive Approach to Your Negative Emotions
What Exactly Is Mental Health?
All of us suffer from mental health problems at times, and such temporary problems do not necessarily lead to mental illness. However, being mentally unhealthy limits our potential as human beings and may lead to more serious problems.
Mental ill health refers to the kind of general mental health problems we can all experience in certain stressful circumstances; for example, work pressures can cause us to experience:
poor concentration
mood swings and
sleep disturbance
Such problems are usually of temporary nature, are relative to the demands a particular situation makes on us and generally respond to support and reassurance.
Mental Health Is About
How we feel about ourselves
How we feel about others
How we are able to meet the demands of life
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
In the last few years I have struggled with mental health problems myself and I think it is very important that people talk about their mental health especially to close friends and family members who they can trust!
It is only by communicating with each other that we can stop the stigma surrounding mental health illnesses and help each other on the road to recovery!
What do you think are the best solutions for improving mental health in our society today and how can we stop the stigma surrounding poor mental health?
A famous musician,rugby player and television presenter in Ireland called Niall Breslin has written an excellent book called Me and My Mate Jeffrey about his struggles with anxiety and depression.
It is people like Niall who are brave enough to admit that they have mental health problems and are willing to talk about them publicly eliminates some of the fear and shame that many people feel about their mental illness!
Early Warning Signs Of Mental Health Problems
Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning signs of a problem:
Eating or sleeping too much or too little
Pulling away from people and usual activities
Having low or no energy
Feeling numb or like nothing matters
Having unexplained aches and pains
Feeling helpless or hopeless
Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
Yelling or fighting with family and friends
Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
Thinking of harming yourself or others
Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school
What Is The Definition Of Mental Wellness?
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is defined as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”
Positive mental health allows people to:
Realize their full potential
Cope with the stresses of life
Work productively
Make meaningful contributions to their communities
Ways to maintain positive mental health include:
Getting professional help if you need it
Connecting with others
Staying positive
Getting physically active
Helping others
Getting enough sleep
Developing coping skills
Diabetes and Mental Health
Denial is another common emotion felt following diabetes diagnosis. Denial is a difficult emotion, and happens when people refuse to believe that something has happened to them.
Many people experience denial upon diagnosis.
Fear is another common response to diabetes diagnosis. Fear occurs when contemplating the present and future managing diabetes causes fright.
Diabetes is a serious condition that requires regular management, therefore fear is a natural response. However, if fear is preventing you from managing your condition it can become a serious problem.
Some people who are affected by diabetes may experience periods of embarrassment. This a common psychological effect of the disease. The reason for this may be they have to carry around insulin, blood monitoring equipment, syringes,insulin pens or wear an insulin pump. They may feel uncomfortable testing their blood sugar and doing insulin injections at a restaurant ,social gathering,at work or at school. All of these factors can lead to embarrassment and shame.
Diabetes and Depression
Diabetes can be a difficult condition to accept and it is not uncommon for mental health issues such as depression to occur before or following a diabetes diagnosis.
Depression is a feeling of sadness that will not go away, and it can seriously affect quality of life. If you have been feeling hopeless for more than a week you could be suffering from depression.
Having diabetes can leave you feeling completely alone — and that there is no one who can help you or understand what you are going through.
“Depression is common in anyone with a chronic disease, but it is particularly common in patients with type 1 diabetes,” says Jennifer Goldman-Levine, PharmD, a diabetes educator and associate professor of pharmacy practice at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston.
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For more great Health and Nutrition Tips refer to the website positivehealthwellness.com.
SOCIAL EFFECTS OF DIABETES
Diabetes is more than a health condition. For most people, it’s a new way of life, and it affects relationships in all areas as much as it affects eating and physical activity.
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POSITIVE WAYS TO DEAL WITH DIABETES
It may take as long as a year to come to terms with diabetes. If you’re feeling low, try not to let negative feelings interfere with taking care of your health. Here are some strategies to keep them in check:
Educate Yourself:
The more you learn, the more empowered you’ll feel. The diagnosis doesn’t mean life is over. You can begin an even better life that includes taking better care of yourself and understanding your body.
Open Up to Family and Friends:
Rather than shutting out people who care, invite them to support groups. Involve your family and friends in your diabetes care. Let them know how you’re feeling. Tell them that if you seem angry sometimes, it may be due to your own frustration. Give them articles to read.
Assemble a Solid Health-Care Team:
Find a doctor, dietitian, pharmacist, diabetes educator, and others who make you feel comfortable about sharing your feelings.
Set Realistic Goals:
Unattainable objectives just set you up for disappointment. In trying to live a healthier lifestyle, do the best you can and accept that you won’t hit 100 percent every time.
Focus on the Positive:
Rather than dwell on the prospect of developing complications someday, consider the healthful behaviors you’re learning and how those new habits will help you lose weight or boost your confidence and keep you from developing complications.
Get Involved:
Volunteer for a diabetes-related event. These activities are therapeutic and encourage positive thinking, instead of the ‘poor me, not me’ mantra .Being around people who have diabetes will help you share your feelings, plus you may pick up tips.
Get Help if You Need It
If strong negative emotions linger for more than a year or affect how you function overall, you may need help from a psychologist or psychiatrist. Ask your doctor to give you a referral.
You can overcome negative feelings by reading a positive book about diabetes. Talking about your feelings with close friends, joining a discussion website on the Internet like this site.
The more educated you become about the disease, the more you can do to improve your health, Diabetes is something you can control.
HOW TO COPE WITH DIABETES
Diabetes (How to Cope Sucessfully with…) (How to Cope Successfully with…)
Among chronic diseases, diabetes is unique in the amount of time and attention it requires of the person who has it to remain healthy. It is therefore no surprise that taking care of yourself may feel difficult or challenging at times.
That’s why dealing with diabetes over the long term requires developing a range of coping skills and techniques, from learning to carry out the daily tasks of diabetes control, to finding ways to deal with the emotions that having diabetes and having to care for it are bound to bring up at times.
Diabetes is a long-term stressor that has the potential for people to have difficulty in coping with the day-to-day management of diabetes.
Medical professionals can evaluate their diabetics coping abilities in both formal and informal ways, and this information can be used to assist the patients in developing better coping skills.
Such improved coping skills may assist diabetics in achieving better metabolic control and quality of life.
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If you have any suggestions on how to improve mental health or any comments or information you would like to make on the topics discussed in this post.
Please send an email to momo19@diabetessupportsite.com or leave your comments below.
