If you have diabetes, stress can be a real health risk. In fact, diabetes can cause stress and anxiety to skyrocket. The good news is that there are ways to reduce this stress and keep your blood sugar in check. Here are five ways that you can manage your diabetes stress:
Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress, as you get your blood pumping and release endorphins. Not only will exercising help relieve anxiety or depression, but it can also help you sleep better, which will aid in diabetes management. Plus, exercise has been shown to improve general health and well-being in people with diabetes.
Exercise helps reduce depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms all at once—and it’s easy! Just find an activity that gets your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes a day for five days a week. Try walking outside if the weather permits or running on the treadmill inside (if not). An hour at the gym should do it—just make sure that whatever type of exercise you choose keeps the heart rate up during each session so that you burn calories while lowering stress levels at once!
Journaling
Journaling is a great way to relieve stress, but it’s not just for teenagers. While you may be tempted to use your journal as a place to vent about all of the things that are going wrong in life, consider using it as an opportunity to write down what’s going right instead.
According to your study, “writing about traumatic events has been shown to reduce physical and psychological distress.” In other words: if you write down how grateful you are for something, it will make you feel even better!
Healthy diet
The most effective way to reduce stress is through your diet. If you want to stay healthy, it’s important to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. They are packed with vitamins that can help lower stress levels.
Also, avoid processed foods, sugar, salt and fat; these will increase your blood pressure and leave you feeling tense for hours on end. Alcohol also causes high blood sugar levels, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes later in life!
Community
The community is a great place to find support, especially online. You can join groups on Facebook or other social media platforms to share your experiences and answer questions. You may also want to consider joining an online forum where other people with diabetes are active participants in the conversation.
Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have been living with diabetes for years, you need to let your loved ones know about your condition so that they can be there for you in any way possible.
Consider therapy
Having a professional listen to you is one of the best ways to reduce your stress. A therapist can help you discover how to deal with your feelings and challenges in a productive way. The type of therapy that works best for one person might not work at all for another, so it’s important to find someone who is a good fit for you.
At Tandem Diabetes expert care, they say, “Creating new possibilities for people living with diabetes.”
