I get it… living with diabetes can be a struggle. After living with diabetes for 19 years, I’ve learned how to live positively with this disease. Here are my tips for living your best life with diabetes:

It’s okay not to feel okay! I recently went on a trip to Australia, and I was having the time of my life…minus the constant lows. It got to a point where I just broke down crying, but thankfully my fiancé assured me everything would be okay. Which of course I knew, but in the moment, I just wanted to be upset. And that is 100% fine, so long as it’s not a 24/7 thing! So, be open to honoring your feelings.

I’m sure we’ve all heard from our endocrinologists, “Making a diabetes management plan will make things much better for you.” I completely agree with this. Is it fun? Maybe not, but it’s much better to have a plan to avoid the diabetes rollercoaster (we all hate so much). You can keep it simple so it doesn’t get overwhelming. For example, I do the following:

• I spend one day a month figuring out what supplies I need for the month(s) to come.
• Regarding my diet, I am always mindful of my food choices (without restricting myself too much). I eat intuitively and always make sure to check my blood sugar first and bolus.
• I workout 3-4 days per week to ensure less insulin resistance.
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It’s best to always have a plan when living with diabetes. But, those plans don’t always go... as planned! There will be days where you’ve done everything right, and yet you’re still too high or low. This is normal in the diabetes world, so don’t be afraid of it! Just like you should honor your feelings, you should also honor your bad diabetes days. There is nothing wrong with having them! After living with this disease for 19 years, I’ve had too many bad diabetes days to count. But what matters is accepting them and being content regardless of them!

Don’t let diabetes keep you from living your best life. Just be a little more self-aware, do some extra planning and keep a positive attitude! Let me know what questions you have below, and I’d be more than happy to answer. Also, join the conversation on social @myabetic

Happy New Year! 🎊