Diabetes Burnout & Distress: Is there anything I could do to help myself?
Support from an appropriately trained healthcare professional can be really helpful for people with diabetes distress or burnout. But there are many self-help actions you can take, both to overcome and also reduce your likelihood of experiencing burnout. You will find some ideas below, with links to worksheets that you might find helpful:
Learning to recognise your thoughts, feelings and behaviours in relation to diabetes
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• Know how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours interlink and affect each other Identifying cycles of thoughts, feelings & behaviours worksheet |
Coping with emotions
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• Give yourself permission to feel "negative" emotions like frustration and anger towards diabetes – they are a healthy response to its demands. • Recognise that pushing difficult thoughts and feelings away can be very tiring and they often pop back up, despite our efforts. It’s a bit like trying to push a beach ball under the water for a long period of time. Like difficult thoughts and feelings, it can be more helpful in the long run to let the ball float alongside you. • It can be helpful to try and name the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing, and work to accept they are a normal part of living with a long-term condition like diabetes (for example: “I am having the thought that I hate diabetes” or “I am feeling angry about diabetes”). • Try practicing some relaxed breathing, or mindfulness exercises – there are lots of great videos on YouTube or mobile phone apps which guide you through some mindfulness practices. Relax Breathing Worksheet. |
Coping with difficult thoughts
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• Catch unhelpful ways of thinking about diabetes self-management such as perfectionist thinking or ‘black and white thinking’ – try to think of the bits in between – things are rarely all good or all bad. Black and white thinking worksheet. |
Coping with stress
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• Accumulation of stress can make it harder to cope with the demands of life with diabetes. • It can be helpful to think about your own ‘stress bucket’ – notice what fills up your bucket, and think of ways to let some of the water out. Stress bucket worksheet. |
Setting goals
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• Aim for small, realistic goals and build up. • Diabetes is a long-term health condition so pace yourself to cope over time by not being too perfectionistic • Be flexible - Having separate diabetes management plans for difficult days and easier days can be helpful. • On easier days you might find you have the time and energy to fully carb count your meals, give your insulin before you eat for most meals and check your glucose levels regularly, aiming to be in range for a larger part of the day. • On more difficult days you might find it easier to eat foods you already know the carb content for, you might check in on your glucose levels less often and plan to give your insulin with food or after. Find goals that work for you. Setting goals worksheet. |
Allowing others to help
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• Talk to someone involved in your diabetes care about the way you are feeling about your diabetes • Talking about your experiences of diabetes to others who understand, can also help. Contact Diabetes UK support groups or visit blogs such as those on https://www.diabetes.org.uk/support-for-you. |
Increasing self-compassion
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• Look after yourself when you are going through a stressful life event. Diabetes management may need to be given less priority for a time until life has returned to "normal". Consider the minimum you need to do to care for your health. You may want to make easier and difficult day goals (see goal planner worksheet). • Be kind to yourself - remember there are over 40 things that can affect your blood glucose levels every day and you won't get it right all the time. • Ask yourself, what would I say to a close friend who was facing similar difficulties? • Think of one diabetes self-care task you are avoiding that you could do today, and congratulate or reward yourself for doing it. • Who in your life has been the person to get the best out of you? Maybe someone from your current day to day life or someone from your past - maybe a favourite teacher, supportive coach or maybe a grandparent or aunt / uncle? What was / is it about this person that got the best out of you? What qualities did they have and how did they speak to you? Maybe they were encouraging, or held hope for you, maybe they were balanced or fair in their opinions of your efforts or maybe they were good at seeing the bigger picture? Could you aim to try to take this same approach when talking with yourself about your diabetes management? After all, if it has worked in the past maybe this would be a helpful approach! |
Remember why it is important to you to manage your diabetes
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• It can be helpful to think of the pros and cons of taking steps to managing your diabetes more effectively. Listing the reasons you have for wanting to manage your diabetes can help remind you why it is important and can motivate you to take the first steps. My reasons for diabetes self-care worksheet. |
Thinking about your values and what else is important to you in life
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• Strive for balance in your life – your diabetes health is important. Remember what else you value in life (family, friends, work, hobbies) – try to give time to each of these important things. What is important to me in life? |
Further support
To learn more about emotional well-being and Type 1 diabetes, explore the free BERTIE Emotional Wellbeing module available on the BERTIE website.
This resource was created by Dr Lindsey Rouse, a clinical psychologist working in the Diabetes and Endocrine Centre at Royal Bournemouth Hospital (UHD NHS Trust) and part of the BERTIE team.
