Hi everyone,
This post will be from a more personal point of view. First things first, I want to apologize for my absence. I have not been able to be as active in my work lately because I suffered a fall with injury due to hypoglycemia. I am okay now and am on the road to recovery. I wanted to share more strategies today for managing life and diabetes together. So lets jump in. As always, references will be included below.
Diabetes can be draining, exhausting, mean, fill in whatever adjective that applies to your life. Navigating and managing all of the nuances of diabetes is stressful. Adding in the pressure of life and keeping up with the set parameters of diabetes creates an even greater level of stress. It is important to give yourself some grace when it comes to life with chronic illness.
Diabetic management comes in all shapes and sizes and should be a personalized experience. Part of this experience is learning how to set appropriate and manageable goals for yourself.
The style of goal setting that I have learned to love is called SMART goals. This stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. To be honest, everything is easier said than done. However, nothing will ever change is you do not at least try.
Using the SMART goal format can be tricky but having my goals be broken down into this format makes them more attainable (for myself). What does the SMART goal format look like? "My HbA1c will be lowered to at least 7% by the end of the calendar year." or "I will reduce the number of high blood sugar's I have after meals over the next three months." These meet all of the requirements for SMART goals. Once you have set the goal you need to make a plan for how to meet that goal.
Relearning things like carb counting and reading food labels is one way. Asking your provider for a more detailed written plan of care. For myself, I need to have something written down because chances are I will forget something.
Maybe this style will help you but maybe not and that is okay. There are so many other ways to set manageable goals to try.
Other ways to set goals are: writing your goals down and make a plan on how to achieve them, telling someone what your goals are, setting up a habit tracker, celebrate yourself,
Visualizing your goals is a great way to hold yourself accountable. Speaking of accountability if you speak your goals out loud and telling someone is another method of accountability. What is accountability you ask? In short it is responsibility. Now one big point I want to make very clear. You are not responsible for how your body has reacted to life. You are however responsible for helping to maintain your health in whatever that means for you.
All wins in life, big or small, deserve to be celebrated. Lowering your HbA1c, Increasing your time in range, Remembering to take your medications, Avoiding injury, Improving your sleep habits, Decreasing stress levels, etc. All of these seemingly small things matter just as much as a birthday, graduating, buying a car or house. So celebrate all of your goals because all aspects of your life deserve it.
All of the love,
Trisha
The Diabetic Diabetes Nurse
References:
Boeykens, D., Boeckxstaens, P., De Sutter, A., Lahousse, L., Pype, P., De Vriendt, P., & Van de Velde, D. (2022). Goal-oriented care for patients with chronic conditions or multimorbidity in primary care: A scoping review and concept analysis. PLOS ONE, 17(2), e0262843. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262843
Davis, T. (n.d.). Personal Goals: Definition, 30 Examples, & Tips for Goal Setting. The Berkeley Well-Being Institute. https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/personal-goals.html
Kangovi, S., Mitra, N., Smith, R. A., Kulkarni, R., Turr, L., Huo, H., Glanz, K., Grande, D., & Long, J. A. (2017). Decision-making and goal-setting in chronic disease management: Baseline findings of a randomized controlled trial. Patient Education and Counseling, 100(3), 449–455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2016.09.019
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