Diabetes does not only affect physical health but can also hit hard on mental health. In most cases, people diagnosed with diabetes often feel envious because they can’t go back to their previous diet and lifestyle. Don’t worry if you feel the same because you’re not alone, and it’s only normal to feel that way. In fact, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio says that it’s actually a very common and natural response.
If you are here because you want to overcome these negative feelings, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will give some tips on how you can overcome feeling envious and after you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes.
Tip #1: Ask for Support from Your Family and Friends
You don’t have to face this battle alone. The first thing you can do to help yourself overcome the feeling is to ask for emotional support from your family and friends. Since diabetes changes your overall lifestyle, you need to seek help from the people around you so that you can easily cope with the changes. By asking for support, they can adapt to a healthy lifestyle like yours and avoid suggesting food or activities that aren't diabetes-friendly. This way, dealing with diabetes will be more manageable, and you will not feel jealous anymore.
Tip #2: Ask Your Doctor for Guidance
Another thing that you can do is ask your doctor if they can suggest any mental health resources like support groups or community educational courses. These can help you in dealing with your negative response caused by your condition. Support groups can help you reduce your distress, manage depression, and keep you motivated to manage your diabetes.
Tip #3: Prioritize Your Self-Care
No better person can help you but yourself. You need to accept the fact that you have diabetes, and the only thing you can do is make yourself better. Making yourself better means you have to take care of yourself adequately. That said, you need to follow a strict diet, do exercise, attend appointments regularly, check your blood sugar, and take your medication on time. Once you focus on making yourself better, you will not have the time to look at other things that can make you feel envious.
Tip #4: Avoid Negative and Unhelpful Thoughts
It’s okay to feel bad sometimes, and we’re not here to tell you that you have to think positive constantly. What you can do is focus on what you can change and accept that there are things that you can’t change. This way, you can easily control your thoughts and not dwell on the things you have no control over. Once you understand that positively managing your condition can improve your physical and mental health, you’ll gain more motivation to do your best.
Tip #5: Practice Acceptance
Acceptance doesn’t necessarily mean that you like the condition that you have. It’s not an easy tip to do, and you don’t have to force yourself to do it right away. Give yourself some time to process, adjust, and mourn. But after you have felt all these, it’s time to give yourself a chance to learn acceptance. Once you have learned to accept, you’ll come to know how you can manage the diagnosis day by day, and you’ll be surprised that you can get on with your life, even with diabetes.
Conclusion
Aside from taking care of your physical health, you also need to take care of your mental health. We understand that dealing with diabetes is hard, but hopefully, these tips can help you overcome the negative feelings you’re currently experiencing. Always remember that you are not alone in this battle. Aside from your family and friends, Hope Seed is here to help you in your mental health battle.
Hope Seed Support Center is an organization from Houston, TX, that provides mental health services, counseling, nutritional therapy, and more. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our services!
