Sunday 12 February 2012

DSMA Feb Blog Carnival - Far From A Winter Wonderland

Diabetes is a royal pain in the arse.

Fact.

It can be at it's worst in Winter, when for some people D teams up with Depression. Unfortunately the two are commonly linked, and little things adding up can soon snowball into a full burnout. Little things like:

Christmas
Presents
Cooking
Thanksgiving
New Year
Snow / Ice
Relatives coming over
Party planning
Last years resolutions
Low blood sugars from cold weather
Decorations
High blood sugars from overeating and/or stress
Unexplained highs/lows
Over excited children
And many many more!

If I ever feel like I'm getting a bit down and want to try and stop it before it takes hold, I go to my family/friends and loved ones. They will always distract me and make me smile :)

Do something creative!
Create some D-art for this years Diabetes Art day, or make a few postcards for the D-Postcard Exchange. You could even create yourself a Diabotic! I started knitting before Xmas (yes I'm god awful slow at it - but apparently quite neat) and find it's a brilliant distraction when I need it.

Don't bottle things up!
Have a good old vent to your family/friends or the DOC! They will always be there to offer support and advice at any time day or night. Bottling things up in my experience never helps, it's always an 'Ahhhh' moment when you let it go :)

Meet other PWD
D-meets are amazing and never fail to cheer you up! The people are incredible, have an amazing sense of humour about their D, and know exactly what you're going through and how you're feeling. There's nothing like seeing a group of PWD testing before lunch, it's brill!

This post is my February entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2012/february-dsma-blog-carnival/

2 comments:

Karen said...

These are some great tips for getting rid of depression before it takes a big hold. I love the D-Art suggestion, that's one I hadn't though of but I know I always have fun when I'm creating!!

Lee Ann Thill said...

Yes!!! Make art! It's a great way way to get out of your head and have some mental health time, and the effects linger with you beyond the time you're creating... much like the effect exercise has on your BG hours after the fact. Thanks for the link love :)

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