Oh, independence – it’s a double edged-sword. I thought for a while that I wanted to do diabetes on my own. I quickly discovered that isolating yourself makes managing everything – diet, blood sugar, exercise, and every other detail – so much harder. Interdependence is the way to go.
You would think that hearing “Happy Holidays!” would bring nothing but joy and excitement around this time of year, but living with type 1 diabetes during the holidays also brings some feelings of anxiety for me. With the holiday season comes family gatherings, gift giving, decorating the house, fun traditions, and lots and lots of yummy food. Though these things bring lots of positivity, they can also be a bit stressful, and as mentioned in a prior blog, stress is not exactly diabetes’ best friend.
Five years ago, I didn't actually think I would be thriving with diabetes. Maybe right when I was diagnosed - but only because I saw people like Halle Berry and Nick Jonas and thought “if these celebrities can manage it, I can definitely do it”. But at that point I didn’t really know what "it" was. I didn’t know what type 1 diabetes really consisted of on a day-to-day basis. I didn’t know about everything that came with that tiny, yet loaded sentence: “You have diabetes."
Personally I feel that stress is one of the most important topics to touch on in regards to diabetes and good blood sugar control. Regardless of your major, minor, extracurriculars, or campus living situation, being a student is quite stressful.
Fall is almost here!!! As sad as it is to wave good-bye to summer, a new season is an opportunity for new goals, re-capping your summer, and refreshing yourself on how you can live your best life with diabetes.
When I used to hear the term "self-care" I would think brushing my teeth, showering, not eating too much junk food, and maybe doing yoga every now and then. Since being diagnosed with Type 1 self-care has taken on a whole new meaning, a much greater meaning. Living with diabetes presents daily challenges, so it is extremely important to provide ourselves with the care that we really need.
Interdependence is defined as the quality of being mutually reliant on each other. I find this idea to actually be very difficult and thought-provoking. As a type 1 diabetic, who or what am I relying on? And who or what is also relying on me? I think that I have struggled with interdependence in college a bit because I have found myself relying on my body too much and not relying enough on others. Though I have been type 1 for five years already, I still subconsciously (or sometimes consciously) wish that my pancreas was up and running like those without diabetes.
It’s been several years since I’ve been able to consider myself a full-time student, however, when I saw the opportunity to attend a conference designed for young adults ages 18-30, I couldn’t pass up the chance to participate. I’d like to extend my overwhelming gratitude to both the DiabetesSisters and Dexcom One Step Ahead Foundation for the generosity that allowed me to travel to Florida for the 2017 Students with Diabetes Conference over Memorial Day Weekend. Being one of the recipients of the Brandy Barnes Leadership scholarship was an absolute honor and I took great pride in representing the DiabetesSisters and sharing with others the mission of this wonderful Sisterhood.
Everyone seems to have a different definition of “healthy eating” these days, so I’m going to let you know what kind of eating makes me feel healthy, and maybe it will work for you too! First off, I believe in really enjoying my food. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and if that means eating ice cream or my favorite guilty pleasure once in a while, then I relax and enjoy every bite! Depriving myself of the foods and drinks that make me happy all the time may not necessarily help my overall health.
Sometimes I think the fact that I am living with type 1 diabetes is harder on my parents than it is for me. It is hard to imagine how it would feel watching your child prick their finger, give themselves a shot, and feel the symptoms of a high or low blood sugar, without knowing how it feels. However, this is what a parent of a type 1 diabetic endures everyday. I think it is easier when you have type 1 diabetes yourself, because you are used to being on high-alert, and taking care of yourself, but you do not have the worry that a parent carries around.