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Emotional Well-Being

Emotional Well-Being

What do your thoughts have to do with weight loss?

Emotional Well-Being
drjen's picture
Written by Jen Nash
March 4, 2013

This article continues the theme of emotional eating and diabetes and the important role your thoughts have in connection with weight loss.  We have many thousands of thoughts every single day and it is likely that you rarely pay much attention to them. However research has demonstrated that our thoughts contribute much to our decisions around eating behaviour – and if we can become aware of them, we can influence them, and therefore dramatically change our behaviour around food.

 

Your Relationship with Food

Emotional Well-Being
drjen's picture
Written by Jen Nash
January 2, 2013

Do you ever find yourself feeling down, unhappy, or restless - andbefore you know it you are eating something you hadn't planned to? If so, you're not alone. 'Emotional eating' or 'comfort eating' is really common, both for people with and without diabetes. As an attempt to feel better (temporarily at least) it's ok to use food like this some of the time. However when food starts to feel like it controls you, rather than you being in control of food – and particularly if you have weight to lose - it can be helpful to consider your eating behaviour from a different angle. What is your 'relationship' with food? This article will help you understand the way you relate to food and diabetes weight loss is not just a simple formula of 'eat less and move more'.

Social Support: A Protective Factor for Women with Diabetes

Emotional Well-Being
Lehman's picture
Written by Dana Lehman, PhD
May 3, 2012

Everyone with diabetes knows that having the love and support of family and friends can make a world of difference when it comes to your diabetes management and how you feel about diabetes in general.  Having someone support your goals to change your lifestyle, or offer an empathetic ear when you’re blood sugar is erratic for no logical reason, can make the difference between feeling overwhelmed and resentful, to feeling calm and in control.

Do You Have an Internal or External Locus of Control?

Emotional Well-Being
Lehman's picture
Written by Dana Lehman, PhD
January 31, 2012

In exactly 30 days I am sitting for the Examination for the Professional Practice of Psychology, known to psych types as the EPPP.  This exam is the culmination of 5 years of graduate school, 1 year of postgraduate training and countless hours of work.  This test is extremely difficult and I have never been good at standardized tests.  Needless to say, I’m extremely nervous.

Whether it’s an exam or self care of our diabetes, all of us face situations that are challenging, and over which we feel we don’t have complete control.  Nonetheless, individual experience of these situations varies widely.  Some people become anxious and stressed to a point that it becomes debilitating.  Some people are able to calm themselves down with relaxation techniques or positive self-talk, and others are able to remain calm despite feeling pressures and stress.

I'm Not Depressed: How Can Psychotherapy Help Me?

Emotional Well-Being
Lehman's picture
Written by Dana Lehman, PhD
December 29, 2011

Despite their best efforts, many people struggle to keep their diabetes in good control.  Even those people who take their medication routinely, keep up with their doctor’s appointment and get appropriate exercise often have unexplained blood sugar fluctuations, as well as other co morbid medical issues such as hypertension and an inability to lose weight.  Personally, there is nothing I find more frustrating than working really hard, and trying my best at something, and not getting results.  After 20 years with diabetes I still have a hard time understanding why some days my blood sugar will be absolutely perfect, and the next day it will be up and down all day.

You CAN Make it Through Adolescence with Diabetes

Emotional Well-Being
Lehman's picture
Written by Dana Lehman, PhD
November 29, 2011

Adolescence is tough time full of raging hormones, questions about one’s own identity and sexuality development.  Even under the best of circumstances, adolescence is a tough time.  The good news is, as previously noted in last month’s column, despite this confusion less than 20% of adolescents are diagnosed with a major psychological disturbance during adolescence.  Nonetheless, the less severe challenges of negotiating adolescence are common and often difficult to negotiate.

Making Diabetes "Sexy"

Emotional Well-Being
Lehman's picture
Written by Dana Lehman, PhD
October 29, 2011

Human sexuality is a complicated concept that includes sexual preference, personal sexual desire, and intimacy.  As noted by the Advocates For Youth, “Sexuality is not just what we do but who we are, how we think and feel, how we relate to others, and how the world relates to us.” (www.advocatesforyouth.org).  Needless to say, this can be a confusing topic, and once you add diabetes into the mix, things get even more complex!

How to Assess Your Readiness To Make a Behavior Change

Emotional Well-Being
Lehman's picture
Written by Dana Lehman, PhD
September 27, 2011

Last month’s column focused on several of the most common psychological defense mechanisms that influence and inhibit our ability to change.  This month, I will continue to explore this topic by examining a theory.

Our ability to change our behavior is largely influenced by our psychological readiness to due so.  Psychologists Prochaska and DiClemente categorized this phenomenon with their “Trans-Theoretical Model,” a “stages of change” model that identified 5 progressive categories relating to a person’s readiness to change.

What Defense Mechanisms Are Stopping You From Making a Behavior Change?

Emotional Well-Being
Lehman's picture
Written by Dana Lehman, PhD
August 31, 2011

Why is it so hard to change our behavior, even when we want to?

When first diagnosed with diabetes, most of us realized that many things in our lives would need to need to change: diabetes is a complicated disease, and requires substantial time and effort to manage properly.  Although people have a wide range of reactions to the diagnosis of diabetes—anger, fear, shock – most people eventually realize they want to live a healthy, happy life, and are willing to change certain aspects of their lifestyle to make that happen.

Tips for Managing Diabetes and Anxiety

Emotional Well-Being
Lehman's picture
Written by Dana Lehman, PhD
July 30, 2011

A few weeks ago I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with one of my oldest and closest friends.  After an amazing day hiking and visiting the temples of Angkor Watt, we rewarded ourselves with a nice dinner in town.  After programming my pump for my dinner bolus, as I returned to chatting with my friend, I felt the familiar feeling of my insulin pump vibrating.  When it continued beyond the normal length, I double-checked.

“Button Error.”

During my entire 12 years of using an insulin pump, I had never received this error.  I didn’t even know what it meant.  Soon after, my pump stopped working and major anxiety set in.

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