How do you Upbeat Diabetics maintain that attitude?
I am always so jealous of all of you who remain so optimistic and upbeat.
What is your secret?
Manny if you read this, I need a spellcheck for my posts :)
I just don’t talk about the down times, and trust me there are plenty, like bursting into tears at my Doctors and exclaiming “I’m sick and tired of this!” I figure if I talk “upbeat” it will make me feel upbeat.
I take an "Attitude of gratitude"I count my many blessings : I have a good job and good insurance , as well as the perserverance to learn different ways to manage diabetes I enjoy the little blessings: It finally stopped snowing today and my street was scraped… My brother sent me adorable e-mail photosof my sweet little nieces and nephews.
Ihad a low of 52 that I was able to treat on the run with glucose tabs and keep on trucking. The rotisserie lemon-pepper chicken I bought , from all places, Wal-mart, was superb…
Now how do I cope when my feet tingle, my back hurts, my A1C is not where i want it to be and I feel like diabetes mamagement has taken a back seat to the rest of my multple life endeavors? I say, ok, "time to look at some other ways to cope. You deserve to take care of yourself and not beat yoirself up when life is difficult, And tommorrow I will do something different and makk sreo to aid my physical psychological and spritual health:I will refuse to stress about it…
TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED.,.
I am above all thankful that I get up every morinng afresh, and do NOT try to worry about yesterday’s mistakes or mishaps "Today is the first day of the rest of your life’
GOD BLESS YOU, KAREN
Brunetta
Being pessimistic never improved anyone’s life. Plus I refuse to lose. Maybe then it’s my massively overinflated ego that keeps me going because I consider myself too important to be beaten by something like this. Yes, I hate to admit it publicly, but I like what I see when I look in the mirror. So then maybe it’s vanity.
Or maybe we were built this way. Life’s too short to give up on it any sooner.
Btw, if you need a spellchecker try using Firefox as a browser. It has a built in spellchecker and will give you a squiggly red line under any misspelled words and also suggestions to fix them. For example, you think I knew how to spell “squiggly” right the first time around? 
I think it’s simply a choice.
I am generally a very depressive person… I think controlling my blood glucose levels has really, really made it possible for me not to give in as much to depression, as it lifts my spirits, and it makes me feel so much better, healthwise, and with more energy. I try to look for positive things, because I know this is not a 200 meter dash, but a long, life marathon… and I want to do this for my dad, who lost his race. So I just… I work really hard at trying to focus on positive things, and positive outlooks… and I try to lean on my husband as much as I can. I just can’t afford to get gloomy, and distracted… and the changes in my life have made me somewhat happier, too… energy, weightloss, more friends (in here)… I don’t have a job yet, and I run out of unemployment in a couple of weeks (which is scary as can be), but hey, I am happy… Even though I may not benefit from good insurance for a long time because of all pre-existing condition stupidity… but alas… Life goes on.
As a parent, there’s a lot of “why him?” when your child is diagnosed with T1D… but you realize pretty quickly that there are worse things, MUCH worse, that other people deal with every single day. My next door neighbor’s son grew up with hemophilia and died last June at the age of 35, of complications of AIDS, which he contracted from tainted blood he was transfused with (he was the same age as Ryan White would have been). He had the experience of having been told, at age 14, that he wouldn’t live to see his 18th birthday, that he had AIDS, and that he might as well accept that he’d never have a girlfriend–by his NURSE! Through all this, he maintained a positive attitude, partly out of wanting to thumb his nose at people like her (the ultimate “F— You” is defying the prediction, right?) and partly because he was stubborn as all get out and wanted to have as much of what healthy people have as he could get. His life was all too short, but he packed a lot into it–a terrific human being. So I believe, and intend to teach my son, that you take the hand you’re dealt and make it work within your plans, and not allow it to consume you. Yes, there will be times that you have to focus on D, but it isn’t going to be all the time. Which is a long way of repeating what Brunetta and Scott already said.
What it amounts to is, a lot of other people can manage it. If they can, you can. Doesn’t mean it will be easy, but it can be done, so you have to just keep working at it.
I think it’s a matter of vainity. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. So, I only broadcast the good parts of me. I don’t have a woe is me attitude. I can do ANYTHING. And Damn the man who tries to hold me down! Cuz I WILL win. I’ve been in enough fights and I REFUSE to let ANYONE put me down. Even if it is a disease. I’m going to kick diabetes right in his balls… as soon as I can find them…
There are definitely times when I’m scared and tired and exhausted. But I share those moments with a VERY select few people. They help me through it: My fiance, my daddy and one other close friend. Other than them, everyone assumes everything is peachy keen. Which is what I WANT them to think. I can’t stand the “pity” looks that I get. I HATE feeling weak.
I WILL LIVE.
I realized that I do the upbeat thing too much. My family thinks it’s easy for me to maintain my diabetes, put up with the foot pain, lows and highs, doctor appts. etc. When I told my dad I usually don’t feel very well he was totally shocked.
I stay upbeat, and I’m not ALWAYS upbeat, because being downbeat or pessimistic doesn’t improve life for me or for anyone around me.
Whether I’m an optimist or a pessimist I’m still going to have to test my blood, take my insulin, watch my diet, log my numbers, visit my doctor, so being down about it doesn’t change it. Being up makes the burden a little lighter.
Being pessimistic doesn’t help my control. Being optimistic does.
Being pessimistic doesn’t make my family happy. Being optimistic does.
If I’m having a bad diabetes day, I remember that I’ve had good days and know that I can make it better. They won’t all be bad days and I can actually do something to make them better.
I can’t stop wars, end poverty, or make the guy down the street with the wool cap a nicer person - but I can help myself have a better diabetes day.
By the way, you have a great smile. It’s hard to believe that with a smile like that you’re a pessimist.
Terry
Kathyann-
Me too. My family usually just assumes that I’m ok. There was actually a moment where I tried to open up to my brother and sister and they just kind of glazed over. “We don’t worry about you because you’re strong and you can handle it.” Next topic. It was weird.
I “cover” a lot. Like when I’m scared, I’ll go into another room to cry. Or when my CGM hurts, I’ll call my fiance to come help me instead of going downstairs where the rest of the family might see my tears.
But, I just don’t like it when people worry about me. I CAN do it on my own, but a little understanding might not hurt me.
I agree with Terry - being pessimistic and miserable just doesn’t help! It just makes me feel worse! It’s much better to try to feel happy than sad, I think.
I try to do what Pollyanna does… find something in every situation to be grateful for. Upset about a high blood sugar? Be grateful you have insulin to bring it down? Confused about what to do in a certain situation? Be grateful for the community of people there to help you. Frustrated about comments from friends and family? Be grateful for the people with diabetes that you can talk to. Sad about having diabetes in general? Be grateful that you are living in a country where you can have it and still live a productive, happy life. It’s tough, but it helps for me to sort of ignore the bad stuff and just focus on the good.
i know i wasn’t dealt the best of hands, but it can always be worse…there’s always someone going through what i am, ten times worse than i…i try to take one day at a time…some days i’m not always optimistic, but for the most part, i don’t want the D to ever get me down…i can always try another form of management to get the numbers i want…i try to look at the brightside of things 
myriah
This sure brings up some touchy feelings for me. I was 12 years old when I was diagnosed with diabetes. I heard the Doctors tell my parents that I would not live long. I was determined from then to live a good life. 38 years later I still am. We all have our “down” days I’m sure. I know I do. But I deal with it and move on. We don’t really have a choice! I knew from the start, no matter how good my health care team is and my family support is, it’s up to me. And having a bad attitude makes everything so much more difficult. And attitude is the one thing we can all control.
As a parent of a newly diagnosed teen with T1 I have to try to show that I am up beat for him. I have a suport group of a few people I vent to but I try to not dwel on things and try to realize that things could be worse. Sometime though…being the one who is his main support and he looks for me to “fix” things. The one that at this point has to make ratio decisions and call the docs and make sure he has what he needs at home school or if we are just going out to eat…sometimes I am overwhelmed by it all and just want to say ‘I quit’…but he can’t so I won’t. I have to be his rock. I thank God that he and I have good communication. I think the weird thing is …this has brought us closer and stronger. I hate this for him…I really hate it…but since I can’t take it from him. I have to be there for him and be upbeat.
Hi Karen. Sometimes I’m upbeat and sometimes not. But that is just being a human…not just a diabetic. My diabetes is a blessing in some ways,…I can truly feel compassion for others, no matter what their problems, and you don’t need to be a diabetic to have issues! Somewhere and someone, has more problems than you and I could even fathom. (take Haiti for just one example…there a millions more, I’m sure)
I truly believe that if you focus on others, your problems would seem to minimize themselves…not go away…just give a little perspective and maybe hope for you and everyone.
Take care of yourself Karen and see if you can help one other person. That’s just my thoughts.
No one knows how I feel but me, so I’ve learned that feeling depressed can be dangerous. I have my times in the valley but I like the hills so I choose to stay there when I can.
You stay on the hills Betty if that makes you feel better. Is it winter or summer there? Lot’s of green or covered in snow? Either way, that would be nice.
Let’s do the best we can to stay in the hills and out of that depression.
My hills are green and have beautiful flowers…there are no winters in them their hills lol.
Drugs? Sorry, but I thought that would be the first sarcastic response and I didn’t see it so had to contribute. In all seriousness, I just always think things could be worse. That may sound like a strange way to be upbeat - but I do think it’s true. At least there is insulin. At least there is knowledge and research and more being found out every moment of every day all over the world. There are so many diseases out there that could be so much worse. Somedays it’s hard to think of one, but then something like Haiti happens and it puts it in perspective…
And I completely agree with those who put on such a good front. I’m finding that I’ve done such a good job putting on my brave face that even my husband of almost 9 years gets a bit surprised when I falter…