On the topic of burnout

In his autobiography, Dmitri Shostakovich recounted being asked "how could you live so long under communism?" to which he purportedly replied "it was better than the alternative..." and I think that's a great way to diminish the crush of diabetes.

An Indian fellow by the name of Gopi Krishna, was a Hatha Yoga practitioner. Sounded iike a perfectly normal guy, middle aged, etc. He accidentally opened up what the Hindus call Chakras.

His description of that opening process was incredibly painful, and hellish. few or none had done it at the time, though many recognized his descriptions, However since his book and descriptions Kundilini has become a very popular term/experience.

His description of the opening his chakra process held no rainbows nor kittens in it. he described severe agony, and worse was purely by accident, he was not even a serious practitioner of Hatha Yoga.

Avoid his "approach" at all costs -wg-

Well said.

I believe "control" is severely dangerous and mistaken term… IMHV-fwiw. Control is an illusion in my view. Too many parts, pieces, interactions… far too complex a disease to have so simple a perspective…

Control vs. something else is severely problematic, well intended perhaps but horribly misguided in my view. I lack the vocabulary, the intellect to articulate more clearly. But I am adamant with respect it misses critical targets, vital pieces entirely. I struggle for the right words, but shall some day find them?

Balance to me seems a better view, control is a paradigm of win or lose as I see it. Too simple a word control. Implications, I zealously disagree with.

Merely my opinion, I could surely be mistaken...

:+) thats awesome.

being a russian-native, you get double :+)) for Shostakovich and communist references haha

thats also a ludicrous question. how do we live? because people persevere, despite all....

It’s constantly challenging but, once you’re “conditioned”, you might as well do the best you can. Maybe it’s psychologically unhealthy or incorrect for me to ignore depression and burnout but, well, that’s what I’ve done.

hm. how interesting. but you are aware that you are ignoring it?

isn't that then more in line with choosing to not fall prey to it?

"inside each lives two wolves: wolf of fear, wolf of love. whichever one you feed will grow..."

are you saying you're choosing not to feed the fear?

Yup. I have various other things to do (family, work, working out, hobbies...) and diabetes is "there" but only enough to keep it in line. That's always worked well. I don't really fear it that much. I am sort of dismissive of it. "oh yeah, BG going up? Have some insulin or walk the dog" "BG going down? eat something!" and that's it. I guess it's more than that but I am very aggressive tactically (BG) and it seems to work out very well strategically (A1C, BP, Cholesterol, etc.), I'm not sure I'd give myself the wolf of love though, it's more like the wolf of the Starks, except I'm not dead so that would make me...hmmm...who's left...Arya, Jon Snow, Catelyn, Bran...

I tend to agree with acidrock23. Does diabetes make us sometimes feel alone? What disease doesn't?

I've known a couple of kids, 14 and under, who have had fatal forms of cancer this year. Diabetes stinks, no doubt. But as diseases go, it can be tolerated and managed enough so that we can live happy, successful lives. Not all diseases have that effect :(

I have found this thread to be very interesting and thought-provoking. I am new here but not new to diabetes, I've had it for 10-11 years now.

I don't think it gets the better of me very often, or ever. I don't call myself a diabetic, I am more than that. I am a woman with t2 diabetes, it doesn't define who I am. I've had my ups and downs like everyone else and made many adjustments along the way. I know what works for me and what doesn't, and I try to keep on the straight and narrow but still live my life as a human being. I don't often feel down about it, tho I do hate it. We have to pay attention to ourselves, our bg levels, and act accordingly.

I resisted the idea of insulin for a long time, being a needle-phobe. But the time came to get over myself and about 6 weeks ago I started on it, and I can now say I wish I'd done it sooner! It works so very well, it's not a big deal to administer. Sure I hate it but I can do it.

I sometimes feel burned out because it never does end, it has to be thought about and acted on as necessary, but overall it doesn't hold me back or down. I want to be in charge of my life as much as I can be and I think I am!

I have been diabetic type 1 since 19 months old and now 41. I am having burnout bad. I have mood swings, blood sugars that go high and low all the time, depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, plus intestinal issues. Very frustrated. I have gone to the hospital classes on diabetes and even they don't know what to do. Having diabetes is hard, especially when people have no idea what a diabetic life consists of on a daily basis....even sometimes family.

Hello, A. Whenever I hear a Type 1 refer to "intestinal issues", I think Celiac Disease. Sometimes, Celiac really is the problem--you might consider testing for it. If it is the problem, going gluten free will really help with some of the symptoms you mentioned. At any rate, I hope your burnout improves.

No, they really have no clue. I think it's important we educate the people who are closest to us, but I realize nobody really is interested in all the ins and outs of it. What I do for support, information and understanding is come here. Don't hesitate to start topics and respond to others. Also, I highly recommend a Type 1 support group. There weren't any for adults where I lived, despite being a major metropolitan area so I started one with the support and backing of the JDRF. I have since moved away from that area, and can't interest anyone where I currently live. It's all about families and children here. I miss my Type 1 Women's Group. I highly recommend getting involved with or starting one in your area!

Chuckling.... yup!

(Gotta watch the series one of these days....)

What is "burnout"?

Thanks.
M.

Wow – I haven't been on TuDiabetes for a long time, but saw this topic in my email and had to drop in. I love what you've written, and have come to the same view of my D as an issue of energy conversion. And the quote from Rumi made me cry, in a good way.
I've been diagnosed T2 for 7 years now and did great the first 5 or so ... lately, not so much. Burnout is one way to describe it. I know what I need to do, but can't seem to actually do it. I've even been avoiding getting my blood labs done, because I don't want any numbers on the record until I've lost some weight and brought my FBG down some. It's like a little kid covering their own eyes to "hide" – they think if they can't see you, you can't see them either. I know that isn't how it works, and information is power, etc. etc. ... I'm just tired of it. And even though I know diabetes isn't my "fault," I still feel guilty for not maintaining the non-diabetic numbers I was able to achieve in the first years after my diagnosis. I tell myself if I were just stronger, or less lazy, I'd whip myself into shape again and everything would be fine. But what if it's just the disease progressing, like so many people tell you it will?
Either way, doing something is better than doing nothing. I need to get to the lab and get the blood work done, and just take it from there.
Chakra work and massage have been helpful in managing stresses in my past ... Getting back into bodywork sounds like a nourishing direction for me right now. Thank you for the reminder.
I look forward to reading the rest of this thread.

>>>"I try to be careful about what willpower-demanding activities I let into my life"

This is a very wise approach. I have depression as well as T2, and have learned over the years to be pretty judicious in allocating my available energy. At times I've resented my need to do that, and have felt it makes my life smaller than it might have been. Sometimes I wish I had the energy to just live in "go for it" mode all the time. But this is the body I have, and the life I have, and going slow and savoring what IS is how I take care of them. At least on my good days!

MapleSugar, I suppose everyone has their own definition of "burnout". I think of it as being so overwhelmed or fatigued with treating Diabetes that you begin to slack off your treatment. I would think that depression also plays a role in burnout.

What really leads to my burn out is doing everything right and having everything go wrong. I'm LADA, postmenopausal, hypothryroid, on Lantus twice daily and Novolog for meals. Count carbs scrupulously, wear a CGM and try to stay between the lines. Say no to the foods my friends eat and battle lows with 15 carbs only (no binging). Watching my waistline grow (some is due to my scoliosis making my hip meet my ribs). Dancing twice a week and it's a crap shoot whether the same choreography/insulin/food/timing will drop me to 50 or spike me to 250. And my healthcare team wants to know what I'm doing wrong.

Mary--I totally get it! And I'm not on meds yet. But after 7 years of very tight control, my arthritis worsens, the fibromyalgia is as stable as it ever can be, newly diagnosed with hypothyroidism and elevated liver enzymes, and just so damn tired!

And though I don't have to worry about lows which may sound luxurious, there is very little I can do about highs. I'm not afraid of going to insulin when the need is consistent, but it's not yet. I still haven't hit a 200, for instance, but my fasting is moving upward steadily, so it may not be long.

Anyway, like everyone else---I get sick to death of the Constant Vigilance! Our common scourge is possessed of a diabolical whimsey, me thinketh!...Blessings...Judith in Portland...