Living with diabetes brings daily challenges – a special diet, counting bread units, constant medication. A diabetes diagnosis makes you feel different. For some people with diabetes, this leads to a sense of isolation and can affect your mental health.
How can you live a fulfilling life with diabetes? Of course, by controlling your blood sugar with medication and a suitable diet, as well as with products like Favio Forte, but also by looking after your mental health.
The message of this year's World Diabetes Day is that unity creates a world where diabetes does not dictate patients' lives. Here's how diabetes, feelings of isolation, and mental health challenges are connected, and why a holistic approach that balances mental and physical needs is needed.
Yes, diabetes changes your life
Diabetes is a chronic condition. The symptoms don't disappear in a day, a week, or a month, and treatment can last a lifetime. Many people with diabetes find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that the condition will always be a part of their everyday lives.
If you live with diabetes, some of these situations may be familiar to you:
- You go out for a meal with friends. While everyone else orders pizza, pasta or dessert, you're calculating the carbohydrate content of your food. You try to work out the bread units so you don't jeopardise your health. You have to order something different from everyone else. You look enviously at their plates – and the fact that they can order without the same worries as you.
- When you travel, you always carry more – blister packs of tablets, a blood glucose meter, insulin vials. You have to be careful how you store them. High temperatures and direct sunlight can affect the activity of insulin. The same applies in winter – if the vials freeze, they become unusable. While others are having fun at the seaside or in the mountains, you are often worried whether everything has been properly prepared and stored.
- During a blood test, your doctor tells you that your haemoglobin A1c level is too high. This is a sign that your blood sugar control hasn't been good in recent months. Are you sticking to your diet? Are you taking your medication correctly? Are you sure you haven't missed a dose? Your doctor's questions make you anxious. You feel pressure from them, but also from yourself. You blame yourself for not doing enough.
Has this ever happened to you?
You are not alone. Most people with diabetes experience similar difficulties. For some, the biggest challenge is limiting their favourite (but unhealthy) foods. For others, the fear of complications turns into constant anxiety and stress. For others, their self-esteem suffers, especially if they fail to achieve their target blood sugar levels despite lifestyle changes.
Regardless of how diabetes affects your daily life, we cannot deny that living with this condition is different. When a diagnosis changes your life, your mental health often suffers too.
Diabetes and mental health
The complications of diabetes are not just physical. Diabetic foot, retinopathy and kidney damage are risks that most patients are familiar with. But diabetes can also have negative consequences for mental health.
People with diabetes are more likely to be socially isolated. This is true for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. A different lifestyle can separate people with diabetes from their loved ones. Isolation carries both mental and physical risks. For example, in people with diabetic foot, social isolation is associated with more severe and slower-healing wounds.
Diabetes also increases the risk of mental illness. Depression is twice as common in people with diabetes. Anxiety is also increased. Eating disorders are also more common, especially in patients with type 1 diabetes.
Poor mental health, in turn, worsens blood sugar control. Thus, living with diabetes can become a vicious circle that is difficult to break.
Recognising and managing the mental health effects of diabetes is important for enjoying a better quality of life.
There are ways to cope with the emotional challenges that diabetes brings. Looking after your mental health and seeking support are important steps for anyone living with this condition. Here are a few helpful tips:
Build sustainable healthy habits
A diabetes diagnosis can be a shock. However, this doesn't mean you have to change your entire lifestyle overnight. This approach isn't sustainable. On the contrary, it leads to stress and even burnout. It's better to approach it with a plan and set realistic goals that you can achieve step by step.
You can start with something small – for example, a short walk after work. To begin with, even 10-15 minutes is enough. Over time, increase the distance and intensity. You can move on to cross-country running or start going to the gym.
The same applies to your diet. Start with small, healthy choices. For example, you could swap white bread for wholemeal bread, or choose a handful of raw nuts instead of chocolate for a snack. Favio Forte also complements a healthy diet for people with diabetes. Its formula supports blood sugar control and contributes to vision and immunity. In addition, the product reduces fatigue and improves concentration – qualities that can help you build new habits.
A sustainable approach will not only help you to manage your diabetes, but will also make you feel more motivated. Be patient with yourself – every small step in the right direction is important and significant.
Seek support
You don't have to carry the whole burden alone.
Your loved ones want to help, but often don't know how. Don't be afraid to talk to them openly about the difficulties you're facing. Talk about your new diet, lifestyle changes and medication. Explain how diabetes affects your daily life and how they can offer their support.
If you don't feel comfortable talking about everything with your family and friends, seek support from other sources. There are many support groups for people with diabetes, both online and in-person. In these communities, you will meet people who are facing the same challenges. Their understanding (and often the practical advice they can offer) can be extremely helpful when you feel isolated.
In addition to support from loved ones and patient communities, healthcare professionals are also an important source of information. Speak to your doctor if you are having difficulty controlling your blood sugar or feel that diabetes is taking an emotional toll. Talking to a psychologist or psychotherapist can also help you to cope with stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression.
Develop coping strategies
Chronic illness inevitably brings up emotions – from anger and frustration to fear or sadness. Instead of suppressing these feelings, try to accept them as a natural reaction to the challenges you face. Find your own strategies for living with these emotions.
Healthy stress-relief methods, such as meditation, yoga, and deep-breathing techniques, can soothe both the mind and body.
Different tools will be useful at different times. For example, on days when you feel stressed or anxious, meditation can be a sanctuary. In moments of physical exhaustion, yoga or a walk in the fresh air can bring relief.
Take the time to 'stock' your arsenal with coping skills. You can learn about these techniques from books, articles or online courses, or consult a psychotherapist for guidance.
