It all begins with self-love and a growth mindset.

What does a positive mindset mean to you? For me having a positive mindset means growth, possibilities and staying positive when things get hard. Having a positive mindset when you have diabetes can help you navigate the daily struggles we all have. Instead of thinking, I have to plan or pack my food. Maybe a new thought is, I get to pack whatever food I want and I know it will taste good because I made it.

How you think about your diabetes can make all the difference in how you manage it. For me having a CGM really helped me understand how food metabolizes in my body and what foods increase my sugars. Since getting my CGM last year, I have gathered so much diabetes date on myself to make planning less of a stressor. I know which foods will spike and which ones won’t.

Take a minute and think, what things you know about your diabetes? Do you know if exercising after a meal will help lower your sugars, will help you digest your meal easier or make you spike? Often time with diabetes we go off of how we feel. Meaning, how our bodies feel in the moment. This can be helpful but it can also be deceiving. I encourage you this week to look at the postives you have control over with your diabetes. Move that negative heavy mindset into a positive one.

Self-Care is not selfish

When you think of self-care, what comes to mind? I can’t do that, I don’t have time for that, or I can’t even think about it. Most people think they don’t have time for self-care. I am here to share, you actually do have time.

Self-care is about carving out time in your day, week or the weekend for you. If you like to schedule your days or weeks, this is the time to pencil in self-care. Having a visual hand written note or a calendar notification, may help inspire you to carve out that much needed self-care time.

I often hear from my patients that self-care is selfish. I am here to remind you, it is not selfish. It is much needed down time and “un-plug time.” There are many things you can do for yourself that include self-care, such as a walk outside, drink a nice hot coffee from your favorite local spot, time to read your favorite book, or hand write someone a note. You decide, that is what self-care is about.