Don't Just Survive with Diabetes! Thrive!!
Mange Stress
Stress is a normal part of life. Stress happens whenever your mind and body react to some real or imagined situation. Most every event in your daily life causes some degree of stress, it is unrealistic for you to eliminate stress from your life. Situations which cause stress reactions are called stressors. Some types of stress is beneficial and other types of stress are harmful.
The stress response is vital to survival. The acute stress reaction enables our bodies to respond and move quickly away from something harmful. Chronic stress negatively impacts multiple body systems. Chronic stress drives up blood sugars and worsens health issues by targeting systems which are weakened by chronic health issues. There are similarities and big differences in how acute and chronic stress effect the body. To learn more about the effects of acute and chronic stress, in the Manage Stress Manual (right).
The manual also has a self-discovery activity that helps you identify if chronic stress is an issue in your life. If it is, the manual lists several actions you can take to diminish stress in your life.
Perception Defines Reality in the Brain
The body's stress response begins in the brain. Managing stress has more to do with your mind (thoughts, believing, and perceiving) than your body's physical reaction. It is not the events of our lives that shape us, but our perception of those events.
Life is full of events that are beyond our control. The thing we do have control over is our perception of those events, which will determine how we react and are affected by that event. The brain automatically begins interpreting an event seconds into the experience. Emotions and the body react according to the brain’s interpretation. You learn to retrain your brain's perception of common stressors on your life, which will help to diminish harmful stress reactions in your body. Check out the handout titled RESHAPE YOUR PERCEPTION (right).
Handouts About Emotional Wellbeing
Sponsored by American Diabetes Association and National Institutes of Health and Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists