Getting diagnosed with diabetes can stir up a wide range of emotions in a person, and generally, none of these are positive. This is perfectly understandable because diabetes is a serious health problem. However, getting emotionally stressed out will not help with matters because prolonged stress that becomes chronic will not only worsen your health but will also open the door for other diseases to take root in your body. The soundest way to deal with your emotional stress will be to understand the common emotions that most patients feel and how you can deal with them. Rest assured that millions of people who have been diagnosed with diabetes have managed to bring it under control and led fulfilling and rewarding lives.
This article will discuss the five most common emotions felt by people diagnosed with diabetes. We will start with fear and isolation. Then, we will discuss anger, feeling lost, and guilt.
1
Conquer Your Fear
The first emotion that grips most people is fear. They don't know what the disease will bring. If they've had family members or friends who have had amputations or worse because of diabetes, the fear can heighten. The best way to overcome this fear is with education. If you're diagnosed with diabetes, you should try to read whatever you can about the disease and how you can bring it under control.
Speak to your doctor for reassurance and information. The best way to get over fear is to take positive action. Make immediate changes to your diet and start getting more active. The effort to make a change will reduce your stress and empower you.
2
Do Not Isolate Yourself
You may feel lonely because you're the only one in your family or circle of friends to get diabetes. It may seem like the rest of them just don't understand what you're going through. This can cause you to feel isolated and alone.
This negative emotion is unnecessary. Millions of people around the world have diabetes. You may not know them, but rest assured that you're not alone.
3
Control Your Anger
Anger and resentment are very common emotions. The question, "Why me?" inevitably pops up. The question you should ask yourself is, "Why not you?" It could happen to anyone.
Getting angry over your situation is pointless. Anger causes the body to release stress hormones into your bloodstream. This is not good for your health. Your anger is only making things worse. So you'll need to calm down and accept the hand you have been dealt and do the best with what you have.
4
Educate Yourself So You Won't Feel Lost
You may feel helpless and lost once you find out that you have diabetes. Will you die? Will your leg end up being amputated? Are you doomed for life?
All these feelings of helplessness can be solved by educating yourself. Diabetes is not a death sentence. You can get it under control if you know what to do. Start learning.
5
Drop The Guilt
Many people also feel that they brought the disease upon themselves. Most of the time, this is unfortunately true. A sedentary lifestyle combined with poor diet choices causes millions to get diabetes. Having guilt affects your self-esteem and leaves you powerless.
If you feel like your poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle caused your diabetes, keep your chin up and affirm to yourself that you will make a change for the better. Clean up your diet, minimize your sugar intake, exercise more, and make a change for the better. Diabetes can be managed. It's important to know that feeling guilty but not taking any action can lead to other diseases, such as heart disease, which is much worse than diabetes. So drop the guilt and take control of your life.
At the end of the day, it's important to understand that stressing yourself out over your condition is pointless. If you want to overcome diabetes, you must act. It is the foundational key to success in conquering this disease. Let go of your fears and stress and take positive action today.
This article discussed the five most common emotions felt by people diagnosed with diabetes. We started with fear and isolation. Then, we discussed anger, feeling lost, and guilt.
