Tag: self help

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Relationships And Diabetes: Who Do You Tell?

Living with diabetes can be a challenging experience, especially when it comes to your relationships. That’s why it’s essential to talk to your loved ones about your diabetes diagnosis and how it affects your life. It can help you surround yourself with a more supportive and encouraging environment.

Dr. Janis Roszler, PhD, LMFT, CDCES, LD/N, FAND, and Donna Rice, MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES, co-authors of Divabetic’s ebook Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide To Love & Intimacy With Diabetes, Dr. Janis Roszler PhD, LMFT, CDCES, LD/N, FAND, and Donna Rice MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES offer advice on discussing your diabetes diagnosis as well as issues related to intimacy, fertility, and menopause with the people you care about the most. 

Thank you for helping us to better understand your unique experiences and struggles with diabetes by participating in our first-ever survey on love and relationships for women with diabetes with Diabetes Sisters . This survey, titled Love Across All Life Stages of Diabetes, allowed you to share your thoughts and experiences with us so we can create more meaningful programming and resources to serve you.

For the past 64 years. Barbie has been a part of our lives, a cultural touchstone, or the quintessential image of what a woman should be but never will be – a sex or beauty object. Greta Gerwig’s big screen makeover and the related marketing blitz are making us revisit and reevaluate Barbie’s impact on our lives, including our sex lives.

After all, if Barbie and Ken are confused about what to do at sleepovers, you might be too, especially if you’re dealing with sexual health issues related to diabetes. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in nearly all countries. People with diabetes experience sexual dysfunction more often than the general public.

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Divabetic Mystery Phrase #23

Can you complete our Divabetic Mystery Phrase below?

Why Set Goals?

Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation . It helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the most of your diabetes life.

How to Set a Goal

Most experts advise to set S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) goals that motivate you and write them down to make them feel tangible. Then plan the steps you must take to realize your goal, and cross off each one as you work through them.

 S.M.A.R.T. goals, which are:

  • Specific: Ask yourself what you want to accomplish, how long it will take, and if the goal is ongoing.
  • Measurable: Decide how you’ll measure the goal. Maybe you’ll have a cholesterol blood test, an A1c test, or go by your weight.
  • Achievable: Be sure the goal is achievable. Brainstorm ways to track your progress.
  • Realistic: Unrealistic goals set you up for failure. Keep your goals sensible, and consider setting smaller goals along the way to help you reach the finish line.
  • Timed: Create a realistic timeline to reach your goals. Long-term goals take time, but if they take too long, you may lose motivation.

Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your diabetes wellness, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.

 

Starting to Set Personal Goals

The American Diabetes Association recommends to start by setting a few smaller goals at a time and don’t try to do it all at once. It takes time to build new habits and break old ones. Here are some examples of goals that include these three elements:

Eating goal: Four days each week (How Often) I will eat an apple instead of ice cream as my evening snack (Realistic and Specific).

Physical activity goal: Five days each week (How Often) I will take a 30 minute walk during my lunch hour since I don’t really need the whole hour to eat (Realistic and Specific).

Goals like  “I will eat healthier.” and “I’ll move more.” are not specific enough.

Join us for Divabetic’s Free Virtual Outreach Event

 

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Scavenger Hunt & Smoothie Party on Zoom with best-selling Intimacy & Diabetes co-author, Janis Roszler LMFT, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND on Thursday, July 16, 2020, 7 – 7:35 PM, EST. REGISTER NOW

Don’t Miss Divabetic’s 10th Year Podcasting Anniversary on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, 6 PM, EST

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Divabetic Mystery Phrase #22

Can you complete our Divabetic Mystery Phrase below?

If you’re struggling to cope with the stress, and anxiety of daily diabetes self-care: try repeating positive affirmations to yourself each morning to steer your mood in the right direction. This way of thinking can be helpful when the mental and emotional burden of coping with daily diabetes self-care gets tough. We also encourage you to seek out a therapist to help you adjust to life with diabetes.

Stress hormones can raise your blood sugar. When you can take care of stress, you can lower your blood sugar.

Shallow, upper chest breathing is part of the typical stress response.

Taking a deep breath really does calm you down by triggering neurons in your brain which tell the body it is time to relax according to a new study. Abdominal breathing encourages the body to relax, bringing about a range of health benefits.

What is the 4 7 8 breathing technique?

Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4. Hold your breath for a count of 7. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8.

Do you expect too much from yourself? It’s OK to say “no” to things that you don’t really want or need to do.

There are health professionals who can listen and help you find solutions. Ask your doctor for recommendations if you’d like to see a psychologist or counselor.

Many people wonder how their hba1c number relates to their blood sugar levels. After all, daily diabetes self-care management can be a jumble of numbers: weight, blood sugar levels, carbohydrate counts, fat grams, serving sizes, etc. Hopefully, this handy chart will provide some clarification.

Understanding the Mystery of Your A1C

 

When it comes to the numbers, there’s no one-size-fits-all target. A1C target levels can vary by each person’s age and other factors, and your target may be different from someone else’s. If you feel your hbA1C number is on a higher side, say over 7 or 8%, do not worry! Knowledge is power. You can lower your hbA1C by creating your own personal self-care plan with your healthcare professional.

Join us for Divabetic’s Free Virtual Outreach Event on July 16th

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Scavenger Hunt on Zoom with best-selling Intimacy & Diabetes co-author, Janis Roszler LMFT, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND on Thursday, July 16, 2020, 7 – 7:35 PM, EST. REGISTER NOW

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