Manage Diabetes with an Empowered Mindset

When it comes to managing diabetes, you probably have learned by now there are challenges and setbacks.  How you deal with them is extremely important in managing your diabetes.  Having the right mindset enables you to identify mistakes, stick to prescribed daily routines and modify how you deal with the disease to achieve desired outcomes.

Changing your mindset

As Rachel Zinman of Yoga for Diabetes writes, “In the end, it comes down to mindset. How I respond to my life with diabetes is more important than the number on my meter, the daily grind of counting carbs, or the overall physical drain from a week of higher levels of too many lows.”[1]

Also about changing your mindset, “In Managing Diabetes with Mindset,” a post on the Lovely Lotus Life blog, the author writes,  “It’s a process to change your lifestyle. It won’t happen overnight. It won’t happen in a few days. If you take it moment by moment, you’ll make consistent progress to improve.” [2]

Tune up your mindset

If you are not sure how to change your mindset to achieve goals for managing your diabetes, try some of these tips:

Change your thinking: Realize that you cannot continue down the same path you have been on. Changing your mindset may require learning new skills or improving ones you already have that are not working for you. For example, you may need to work on a new way to plan your meals or find a new exercise. You may need to get more sleep and shut off the TV or your mobile devices earlier to relax your mind.

Challenge your thoughts: It is not enough to try to ignore your old way of thinking. You need to challenge your thoughts. Weigh your thoughts to come up with a decision that seems the best for you. Try to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.[3]

Motivate yourself: Read motivational books or listen to podcasts that can help change your mindset about your diabetes and how to control it.

Try meditation: When you meditate you focus your attention and clear your mind of thoughts to give you a sense of calm and peace and achieve balance. Meditation can help you gain a new perspective, increase self-awareness, increase self control and improve focus and decision making.

Prepare a plan of action: Write down your plan of action with clear steps. It will help you stay on track and keep your mind focused on your goals.

Don’t be deterred if it takes some time to adjust your mindset to your medical condition. There will be times when you feel you are failing at making important changes. But if you stay on course with a positive mindset; you’ll find yourself managing your diabetes.  

[1] Zinman, Rachel, “Diabetes and Mindset,” Diabetes Daily, December 6, 2017. https://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/diabetes-and-mindset-508488/

[2] “Managing Diabetes with Mindset,” A Lovely Lotus Life, Accessed August 13, 2022. https://lovelylotuslife.com/managing-diabetes-with-mindset/

[3] Jacob R.S., “How to Change Your Mindset and Improve Mentality,” The Monk Mindset, January 5, 2022. https://www.themonkmindset.com/how-to-change-your-mindset/