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Ten Tips To Keep Smiling

It’s not a myth: diabetes can indeed affect your mood. Managing a blood sugar rollercoaster isn’t always easy. You’ve probably noticed that having your level too low or too high can make you feel tired, nervous, angry or sad.

So, are mood swings an unavoidable part of living with diabetes? Of course not! You just need to find tricks to let off some steam or cheer yourself up.

  1. Start with the basics: monitor your blood sugar level. If that’s stable, your mood will follow suit.
  2. When you feel anger building up, get yourself outside! Nothing removes frustrations quite like physical activity and a simple walk is often enough to calm anyone down. Just remember that physical activity lowers blood sugar.
  3. Take a warm bath to relax. This is a great way to soothe your nervous system and relieve tension. Again, keep your blood glucose level in mind—it may drop if you spend more than 30 minutes in the tub.
  4. Relax: treat yourself to a massage, do some yoga or meditation, settle in comfortably to read or watch a good movie. Basically, enjoy some quality time.
  5. Go see some friends. Laughter and good company are always excellent medicine.
  6. Do you feel like nothing is going your way? Make a list of positive things in your life: your family, your children, your favorite hobby, etc. It really works!
  7. Stop and think for a few seconds. Why are you angry right now? If you can’t find an answer, that’s a sign you should tone it down.
  8. Learn to recognize what makes you sad or frustrated. Then find ways to avoid these situations or to deal with them more efficiently.
  9. Express yourself. When something bothers you, speak up. Externalizing your thoughts keeps you from piling up your frustrations and making a mountain out of a molehill.
  10. If your mood swings become too frequent, bring it up with your doctor. They can propose other solutions.

In short, don’t ever let diabetes take control of your life. Find your own ways of chasing away the clouds, and keep on smiling!

References:

American Diabetes Association (n.d). Hyperglycemia (High Blood Glucose. Retrieved from: http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hyperglycemia.html. Accessed July 28 2021. 

American Diabetes Association (n.d). Mental Health. Retrieved from: https://www.diabetes.org/healthy-living/mental-health. Accessed July 28 2021.

American Diabetes Association (2004). Acute Hyperglycemia Alters Mood State and Impairs Cognitive Performance in People With Type 2 Diabetes. Retrieved from: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/10/2335.full. Accessed July 28 2021. 

LIVESTRONG (2018). Do Blood Sugar Levels Affect Mood Swings? Retrieved from: http://www.livestrong.com/article/462118-do-blood-sugar-levels-affect-mood-swings/. Accessed July 28 2021. 

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