For the past seven years, my mission has been to support individuals struggling with diabetes. In the medical community, terms like “psychosocial burden,” “burnout,” and “noncompliance” have been used to describe the challenges people face. However, a new term, Diabetes Distress, has emerged, accurately encapsulating the stress inherent in managing this condition.  In my personal and professional experience with diabetes, this term sheds light on the condition without resorting to clinical labels or diagnoses, making it easier for others to understand the reality. Diabetes Distress Study ..read more

The holiday season, and often various moments in life, can throw us off balance with comments like “chill out,” “calm down,” or “get over it.” These directional preposition words are unlikely to lead us to a better place. In fact, they can leave us feeling scattered, stressed, overwhelmed, and out of sync with ourselves. When the world feels chaotic and you find yourself chasing these elusive prepositions, consider a powerful alternative: Collect yourself. 1. Pause and Notice Take a moment to recognize that you’re caught up in the whirlwind of expectations and judgments. Pause, breathe deeply ..read more

Unearthing the Weeds Pulling up weeds! Roots and all! Recently, I spent the morning pulling weeds out of my backyard. They’re pretty; they resemble daisies, but they became invasive and overgrew quickly. It had rained very hard the night before, so the ground was soft, and the weeds came out easily – roots and all! It was very satisfying to pluck them from the earth. As I pulled out the weeds, my mind wandered to a podcast I had heard, in which the author discussed how we frequently revisit stories of past pain, allowing them to influence our present and restrict our self-perception. I decid ..read more

There was a medical emergency on my flight today. It was me! Yet, there was no drama—no one rushing to help me, no diverting to the nearest airport. But I was precariously close to death. Again. That happens in my life sometimes. Perhaps I miscalculated the food from the airport (I looked up the carbs on their nutrition guide), perhaps the altitude or pressure caused the change? Maybe my body was more tired after 4 days of being away from home. I will never know, and I have gotten used to that. It doesn’t matter. My CGM beeped, and I saw the down arrows, so I started munching on my sugar stash ..read more

Before we are ready to make changes in our life, we need to have a foundational understanding of “our self”. We are more than bones and blood, although modern medicine focuses on this aspect the most – especially when it comes to diabetes management!  Yet, what we see in the body is often the result of issues in other parts of us.  Wellness can never come from a place of lack, so we must understand how to fill up and restore wholeness.   In this three-part series, I will cover three simple and practical Nurse Coaching tools to understand this principle ..read more

Before we are ready to make changes in our life, we need to have a foundational understanding of “our self”. We are more than bones and blood, although modern medicine focuses on this aspect the most – especially when it comes to diabetes management!  Yet, what we see in the body is often the result of issues in other parts of us.  Wellness can never come from a place of lack, so we must understand how to fill up and restore wholeness.   In this three-part series, I will cover three simple and practical Nurse Coaching tools to understand this principle ..read more

Before we are ready to make changes in our life, we need to have a foundational understanding of “our self”. We are more than bones and blood, although modern medicine focuses on this aspect the most – especially when it comes to diabetes management!  Yet, what we see in the body is often the result of issues in other parts of us.  Wellness can never come from a place of lack, so we must understand how to fill up and restore wholeness.   In this three-part series, I will cover three simple and practical Nurse Coaching tools to understand this principle. Your Body Let’s star ..read more

This past year has been a journey into the many faces of trauma through books and online classes.  It has taught me that we are all traumatized by our upbringing in some way.  No one is unscathed by harsh words, unmet needs, or difficult experiences.  We all have them.  The interesting part to me is that we learn to deal with life’s hardships based on behaviors passed through the generations.   The events may have been long forgotten, but the acceptable way to deal with tragedy is learned from our parents and extended family.  No judgment or right/wrong impli ..read more

Feel like listening instead?  Use this Audio link! Most diabetes treatment plans focus solely on glucose management, but I would like to introduce you to something new to add to your bag of tricks!  It’s your autonomic nervous system.  It’s free, it’s always running in the background, and it is mostly responsible for your mood and stress level.  Have some diabetes stress or burnout?  Keep reading….. Biology Lesson  But first, a biology lesson.  Your nervous system includes your brain, spinal cord, and the nerve cells that connect every part of your body.  ..read more

Research shows, and those of us that live with it know, diabetes is a fear-filled burden.  But now we are learning this loss of pancreatic function is textbook trauma.   Actually, a trauma that we relive every day!  As we understand trauma and how it may result in Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), some interesting parallels become evident. Definition of Trauma The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (a division of the US Dept of Health and Human Services), defines trauma as “an event or circumstance resulting in: physical harm, emotional harm, an ..read more