*Disclaimer: All content and information in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only.

Diabetes burnout is a common experience that can leave you feeling exhausted, frustrated, and unmotivated. However, there are ways that you can safely navigate through feelings of burnout without letting your diabetes management take the fall. In this blog post, we are going to walk you through different strategies that you can implement to find relief when you need it the most.

Acknowledge and Accept Your Feelings

First things first, you need to acknowledge and accept that your feelings towards your diabetes during burnout are normal. During times of burnout, you don’t want to put even more pressure on yourself by saying things like “I’m a bad diabetic” or “I’m not doing good enough.” This can further heighten your negative feelings towards your diabetes management. When you take a non-judgmental approach to acknowledging and accepting your feelings, you can give yourself space from your blood sugar readings to just let it run its course.

Talk to Yourself Like You’d Talk to a Friend

The online diabetes community is a great way to connect with other people with diabetes. When you are feeling burnt out in your management, consider how you would talk to your friend who was experiencing the same feelings as you. We often put immense pressure on ourselves in our management, but have more flexibility and understanding towards others. Consider reaching out to the DOC during times of frustration to find comfort with people who understand what you are going through.

Get Inspired to Try New things

Trying new things can be a great way to get inspired and motivated again in your diabetes management. Whether you enjoy cooking, physical activity, or crafts you can get creative in finding an outlet that you can channel your energy into when things get tough. This could be trying new recipes or getting a new cookbook, trying a new sport or class at the gym, or even getting creative with crafts. These activities can take your attention away from diabetes and be a great way to manage stress while you navigate through burnout.

Set Realistic Expectations

Diabetes can be unpredictable which can make management difficult. When it comes to your treatment goals, it is important to be realistic with the expectations that you set for yourself. Putting immense pressure on yourself to do everything perfectly all the time will only contribute more to your burnout. When going through burnout, your expectations may look a little different and that is okay. Going back to basics and simplifying your management temporarily can give you time and space to heal mentally and emotionally

If you take anything from today’s blog post, it is that the feelings associated with diabetes burnout are normal and an inevitable part of living with diabetes. But, you can prepare yourself so you can move past it more efficiently. Want to hear more about how two people with diabetes work through burnout? Check out Keeping it 100 Radio: Uncensored Diabetes Conversations Episode 52: Navigating Diabetes Burnout Without Letting Your Management Take the Fall where Lissie and Val have a raw and real conversation about how they have each worked through periods of burnout. Available now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.