shame – Page 2 – Divabetic

04/29/2018

Fandross Festival 2018: We Believe in the ‘Power Of Love’

“When I say goodbye it is never for long

‘Cause I know our love still lives on

It will be again exactly like it was

‘Cause I believe in the Power of Love”

‘Power Of Love/Love Power’ by Luther Vandross

Divabetic is proud to partner with the Vandross Family Estate to present the inaugural Fandross Festival celebrating the musical legacy of Luther Vandross.

As much as we’re looking forward to seeing Luther’s outstanding band members and vocalists perform again and meeting fans we are more interested in helping those at risk, affected by and living with diabetes to stay happy and healthy.

Luther Vandross had over 50 people supporting him with his music but when it came to managing his type 2 diabetes, he chose to manage it alone. That was a terrible mistake because daily diabetes management is challenging as well as overwhelming for many. Don’t go it alone choose to manage your diabetes with ‘team approach’ and build your own healthcare entourage. Working with different healthcare providers, family members and friends helps you to learn in-depth information regarding their health and well-being, boost confidence and find comfort during difficult times. It also ensures that your needs are cared for and addressed.

If Luther’s music has brought joy to your life, then please take a minute to “Keep your House A Home” and learn how to prevent diabetes health-related complications (such as stroke) from occurring. The first step is learning to love yourself and your diabetes health without shame.

Are you ashamed of your diabetes? Afraid of judgment?

Denial of a diagnosis plays a significant role in why people may experience diabetes health-related complications. Ignoring your diabetes has significant repercussions. Learning to accept your diagnosis is not easy and for some, takes years.

Here are three ways to help break the diabetes shame cycle.

1. Respond, don’t react. If your medical professionals are judgmental, consider switching. Realize that you’re in a system that creates shame. Change your mind about how you’re going to see that system.

2. Think about how to transform your behavior and why. “When we really let ourselves understand what our values are and value those things, we are less likely to call ourselves bad people,” says Joseph Nelson, a psychologist in Minneapolis and spokesperson for the American Association of Diabetes Educators. “By getting in touch with what we want in the world, we can tell ourselves that we’re OK and get rid of the shame. Value who you are, no matter what.”

3. Seek support. “Surround yourself with people who know your deeper motivation to change, who aren’t critical, and who are open enough in your relationship with them so that when they do act in a shaming way, you can approach them and tell them why what they’re saying is counterproductive,” says Ann Goebel-Fabbri, PhD, a psychologist at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Fandross Festival 2018 Calendar of Events: Fandross Kick-Off Party & Live Music Tribute hosted by Alfa Anderson at Ashford & Simpson’s Sugar Bar on 5/10/18, Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton Concert with VIP Meet & Greet at the Blue Note on 5/11/18, Fandross Festival (Film & Panel Discussion) at SVA Theater on 5/12/18, Fandross ’80’s Music & Fashion Brunch featuring Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP and Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE at Casa de Femme on 5/13/18. All tickets sold separately on Eventbrite. More event details at Divabetic.org

Enoy our Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast with guests include ‘Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes’ Author Dr. Michelle May, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, R & B Singer Alyson Williams, ‘Here & Now’ Songwriter and Entertainer Terry Steele, Seveda Williams, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian and Luther Superfan John Price. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring selected songs from the album entitled ‘Busy Body’ courtesy of SONY Music. On ‘Busy Body’, Luther Vandross’ third album features ‘Superstar’, ‘For the Sweetness Of Your Love’, and the duet with Dionne Warwick entitled ‘ How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye’. LISTEN NOW

12/05/201612/05/2016

Are You Too Ashamed to Eat What You Love During the Holidays?

December’s Diabetes Late Nite guest, Megrette Fletcher. MEd, RD, CDE, author of Discover Mindful Eating and Discover Mindful Eating for Kids, and the co-author of Mindful Eating and Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes , talks about the shame that people with diabetes may experience during the holidays.

Megrette is a mindful eating expert and registered dietitian and diabetes educator in practice. She is the president and co-founder of the Center for Mindful Eating.

What do I eat?” As a diabetes educator and dietitian, Megrette Fletcher, MEd, RD, CDE, admits that she’s asked this question every day – and even more so during the holidays! Mindful eating isn’t about eating a specific food or limiting yourself to a set number of calories or nutrients. It is about becoming curious and aware so you can make conscious decisions.

Many people react mindlessly to their thoughts. In other words, they re-act—repeating past actions again and again—feeling powerless to change says Megrette’s co-author, Michelle May MD. “For many people, eating is a mindless reaction to their unrecognized or unexamined thoughts. However, your thoughts are just thoughts. Thinking a thought doesn’t make it true or important, or require you to act on it. In fact, a thought doesn’t even need to provoke a specific feeling,” says Dr. May.

Mindfulness is awareness of what is happening in the present moment—including awareness of thoughts—without any attachment to whatever you notice. Mindfulness is helpful because it creates space between thoughts and actions. By increasing your awareness of your thoughts, you can begin to break old automatic or habitual chain reactions between your triggers, thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Each time you choose not to activate your old trigger-thought-feeling-action-result sequences, you weaken the connections. It’s as if the wires rust and eventually break. Further, each time you choose a different action, you create a new connection. With repetition, you’ll hardwire these new pathways—like insulating the wiring. Your new thoughts and responses become your new habits.

Shame is a harmful emotion that is often felt by the young and old, especially when you are trying to manage your diabetes during the holidays. By undertstanding the ingredients that set you up for overeating, you can create the perfect recipe for success and healthy, happy holidays!

Recipe for Overeating by Michelle May M.D.
Ingredients:
1 batch, bag, box, or large plate of food
2 tablespoons of deprivation
1 heaping teaspoon of guilt
Sprinkle of shame
Optional: fatigue, stress, resentment, loneliness, boredom

Studies confirm that some people do gain significant weight during the holidays. Who are those people? They’re the ones who worry about their weight, who try to restrict their intake of holiday goodies only to overeat them out of feelings of deprivation and then guilt. The same studies show that people who don’t worry about their weight don’t put on significant pounds during the holidays.

Learn how to create a self-care buffer zone by regularly nurturing your body, mind, heart, and spirit. from the book: Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes: A Mindful Eating Program for Thriving with Pre-diabetes or Diabetes.

LISTEN: December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with guest, Megrette Fletcher scheduled for Tuesday, December 13, 2016, 6 PM, EST. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic. Enjoy music from Leona Lewis’ “Christmas, with Love” album courtesy of SONY Music.

11/16/201611/16/2016

Pushing Past the ‘Shame’ Associated with Diabetes

‘What did you do?’

‘You must have eaten something bad!’

These types of condescending and mean-spirited comments are common from family members of people living with diabetes who are experiencing high blood sugar values. From blame to shame, overcoming the stigma of living with diabetes seems to be the biggest roadblock to living well with diabetes. Not only must someone with diabetes cope with the stress of day to day self-care management, they also must contend with the stigma of having a condition that even doctors don’t really understand.

For example, most people with diabetes know that high blood sugars aren’t just a result of what’s on the end of your fork. You can experience high blood sugar values because of a urinary tract infection, or depression, or from a fight with a spouse or children or anxiety over not being able to pay your rent.

A 2014 poll for the diaTribe Foundation reports that most people people with diabetes feel stigmatized by the condition regardless of its origins. And the burden of shame makes it harder to handle the ongoing diabetes self-management required to stay healthy and avoid complications.

“Many people not only feel stigmatized by the disease, but see their diabetes as a character flaw,” says Susan Guzman, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute.

“We try to make people understand that they may have contributed to their diagnosis, but it is not all their doing,” says Divabetic Club – Philly leader, Neva White DNP, CRNP- BC, CDE, as reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“We talk about how we need to rethink having diabetes. How can I use this new information as a catalyst not only to change my lifestyle but maybe to change other things?,” she adds.

“I tell people that your numbers are your power and that they help you make your next move,” says Neva White.

“When you don’t take your blood sugars, it’s like driving a car and not knowing how fast you’re going. You can use the number to see what it is after you go to the gym, not only when you ate chocolate cake.”

What’s behind the number on your glucose meter?

“There are so many variables: stress, financial problems, poor access to health care, inability to pay for medications, someone who is forgetful or not organized, depression and mental illness,” says Susan Guzman, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

REGISTER NOW: Divabetic Club in Philadelphia, PA. Our next meeting is Thursday, December 15, 2016, 12 PM -1 PM.

LISTEN NOW: November’s Diabetes Late Nite hosted by Mr. Divabetic. We’re talking about overcoming the shame and blame of experiencing a diabetes health-related complication such as lower limb amputation with musical inspiration from Ella Fitzgerald.