Your diabetes shouldn't dictate how you choose to live your life. It is essential that you work out how you can carry on living your life in a way that suits you. However, it is important to be realistic and accept that you may have to make some changes to your lifestyle to support your treatment goals. Try to see these changes as positive moves that will enrich your life and health as a whole. Remember, they are vital if you want to have control over your diabetes, as opposed to it controlling you.
When you are first diagnosed with diabetes, you may find yourself focusing on all your favourite activities that your condition may now stand in the way of you enjoying. Rather than thinking about not being able to enjoy these activities because of your diabetes, try to put your mind to working out ways of continuing to enjoy them with your diabetes. If you experiment, you will learn by trial and error what your limitations are and how to overcome them. There is nothing that is absolutely forbidden, but you may have to think things through more carefully than you used to. Once you have established a new routine, you should find you can still be very flexible in your day-to-day activities. Your diabetes healthcare team will be able to help you find ways to continue living the life you choose.
Tips for living the life you choose with diabetes
Accept your diabetes - It can be difficult to come to terms with having diabetes, but this is the first step to living the life you choose.
Listen to your healthcare team - Follow the advice of your diabetes healthcare team about your lifestyle and treatment.
Become your own expert - The more you know and understand about diabetes, the better control you are likely tohave over your condition.
Identify your treatment goals - Working out your goals for managing diabetes will give you something to aim for.
Be realistic - It is important to be realistic and accept that you may have to make some changes to your lifestyle to support your treatment goals.
Be proactive - Focus on finding ways to continue taking part in the activities you enjoy with diabetes, as opposed to how your diabetes prevents you from enjoying them.
Experiment - You will learn by trial and error the best way to manage your diabetes.
Get motivated - Whether it's playing football with your kids or enjoying an active retirement, everyone has different motivations. Find something that motivates you to make the changes your health needs.
Take responsibility for you health - It is important that you feel able to assume responsibility for your treatment and take charge of your life and your diabetes, so you can continue living the life you choose.