Mind Over Mellitus

So I was stressed, depressed, and down on my body after my diagnosis with Type 1. Not just from my doctor’s “educational” pamphlets about all the ways I am going to die, lose limbs, go blind, droopy, on dialysis, and all those other fun things. It was also from the huge highs and lows and their affect on my thinking — as I also figured out how to eat, take insulin, and function in a high-pressure job.

Okay, not to keep any of the three people following my blog in further suspense, I’m going public on this. After twelve years of diabetes, I’m ready to share the biggest influences that make my life with diabetes work:

Tai Chi and Qi Gong – By undoing the knots and tensions in my body through the slow, steady, meditative movements of Tai Chi and Qi Gong, those same constrictions eased in my mind and emotions.

My heart lightened. I got funnier, more prone to laugh, less stiff. Each day I practiced helped me break the 24-hour cycle of anxiety and stress that I couldn’t seem to escape. Finally I took off the heavy, heavy coat of anxiety.

Loving Relationships – For me, accepting diabetes and the way it affected me was a major hurdle. The subsequent loves of my life focused on me, and accepted my diabetes when I had been doing the opposite. Their acceptance of diabetic-me contributed to my own.

Hanging with Other ‘betics – What to do if you feel like an alien here on earth? Find and hang out with other aliens from your own planet. Do it long enough to get the perspective, advice, and humor necessary to stay sane and happy. We diabetics have challenges and issues no one else completely understands. Be understood and understand. That’s huge.

Zen Meditation Practice – While it provides many of the benefits of Tai Chi, Zen meditation – known as zazen – helped me recognize and de-fuse a lot of the “poor me, I’m damaged goods” stories I had made up about having diabetes. At some point it was possible for me to hold these two thoughts together: I love my body and I have diabetes. Totally inconceivable before.

A “Low-Insulin” Diet – Some people call it “low carb,” but the real point is that the less insulin you need to take (or make if you’re Type 2) the less estimation error you’ll get AND the less volatility (ups and downs) you experience. That means more stable, more predictable blood glucose, which makes me feel SO MUCH MORE IN CONTROL. I can recommend Dr. Richard Bernstein’s book, Diabetes Solution, if you feel like you’ve had enough debilitating highs and lows that you’re willing to change how you eat.

These are my five. They’re not for everyone. Some people will cope best by getting a job as a wrecking ball operator, while others might find that knitting works. What are your five? Keep returning to them.

As soon as this gets posted I’m planning to do a little Tai Chi to relax before bed…