Dealing With Your Feelings

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Here are a few things you can do to cope with the emotional side of diabetes:

1. Open up to people you trust.

• If you feel sad, mad, embarrassed, or worried, talk about it with a close friend, parent, or doctor. It might be hard at first to open up, and you may have trouble finding the words to talk about it. Try to name your feelings and say what's got you feeling that way. Many times, just telling someone who will listen and understand your feelings can lighten a difficult emotion and help it to pass. Make it a regular habit to talk about what you're going through with someone close to you. As time goes on, be sure to notice and talk about the positive feelings, too. With time, you may notice that you're feeling more calm and confident, or that you're proud of what you're learning to do.

2. Get more support if you need it.

• If you're having a really tough time, or if you think you may be depressed, let an adult know. (Some signs that it might be depression are you're sleeping or eating all the time or not at all, or you feel sad or angry for long periods.) Sometimes people need the added support and care of a counselor or a mental health professional. Your doctor, parent, or another trusted adult can put you in touch with a counselor or other mental health professional who works with teens that have diabetes. Get all the support you need and deserve.

3. Learn how to take care of yourself.

• When you take good care of yourself and manage your diabetes, you will probably get sick less often, need fewer extra shots or tests, and be able to do the same activities as everyone else. When you can participate and feel well enough to get exercise (which is a great mood booster), you'll feel better, too.
• If you're ready to take charge of tracking your blood sugar levels, adjusting and taking your insulin injections, and taking responsibility for preparing your meals and snacks, talk to your parents and doctor about how you can start making these changes. Again, taking charge of these practical tasks can give you more of a sense of control and power over diabetes. You might begin to feel proud — even amazed — that you're doing things you didn't think you'd be able to do.

4. Tell your teachers about your diabetes.

• Telling your teachers at school that you have diabetes can make things a little easier for you — for example, you might tell your teacher that you need to check your insulin or have a snack at a certain time each day. That way you can just leave class without drawing extra attention to yourself. If your teacher knows you have diabetes, he or she can also be on the lookout for symptoms of diabetes problems and can call for medical help if you need it.
• If you're not sure how to bring it up on your own or don't know what to say, ask your doctor to give you a note that covers the basics for your teacher. That can get the conversation between you and your teacher started.

5.Get organized.

•  There can be a lot to keep track of if you have diabetes. How much insulin did you take this morning? What did you eat at school? Did you pack your medicines? Getting organized can help you feel less worried about how diabetes will affect your health. Every night before going to school or work, check to make sure you have the snacks and medicines you'll need for the next day. You'll begin to feel prepared and in charge.

6. Focus on your strengths.

•  It's easy to get lost in all the negative ways diabetes affects your world. If you feel like diabetes is taking over your life, it can help to write down your strengths — and the stuff you love. Who are you? Are you a reader, a hockey player, a music lover, a math whiz, a spelling champ? Are you a son or daughter, a sister or brother, a grandchild, student, friend, babysitter? Are you a future astronomer, teacher, doctor, or poet? Diabetes is really only a small part of who you are. Keep track of your dreams and hopes, and find time for the people and things you enjoy.

7. Stick to the plan.

• Lots of people who have diabetes get sick of dealing with it once in a while. And sometimes people who have learned to manage their illness feel so healthy and strong that they wonder whether they need to keep following their diabetes management plan. For example, you may wonder whether you can skip a meal when you're at the mall or check your blood sugar after the game instead of before. But skipping medicines, veering off the meal plan, or not checking your blood sugar can have disastrous results if you have diabetes. If you feel like throwing in the towel, talk to your doctor. He or she can help you find solutions that fit your life and help you stay healthy, too.

 8.Take your time.

•  Your feelings about diabetes will change over time — today you might feel worried about the future and different from your friends, but next year you might wonder why you were so upset. As you learn to manage diabetes on your own and take a more active role in your health, you may find it's a little easier dealing with the ups and downs of diabetes.