If you were planning on starting a business, you would expect both successes and failures; ups and downs if you will. And you’ll do better in business if you try to plan for the failures. Managing diabetes is no different, and has a lot to do with mental attitude. And mental attitude, of course, starts in your mind, or in your head.
So, applying this to your situation, don’t expect perfection in your A1c results or in your blood sugar levels. Some days, you will have higher levels than you should. Just plan on ways to get back on track as quickly as possible. It’s the positive attitude that’s important. A positive mindset can help you to reduce stress, improve your mood, boost your immune system, and lower the risk of heart disease.
Think of yourself as a person with diabetes, not as a diabetic. View having diabetes the same way that you would view a sight defect. By and large, your eyesight can be corrected. Of course, you my have to wear glasses or contact lenses, but it is not going to define your life regardless of the fact that it is part of it. Think of diabetes in the same way. Taking your blood sugar level on a regular basis should be no more inconvenient than keeping your glasses clean. High A1c level? Work out a plan to get it lower again. After all, eating healthy should be the aim of everybody.
As a person with diabetes, you ought to have some goals, but they do need to be realistic. Try starting with realistic short-term goals that are specific, clear, and
short-term. For example, if you have only recently been diagnosed, taking your meds on time, and checking your blood sugar when you should, may be sufficient. If you know you need to lose weight, make a realistic goal of losing 5 pounds every month rather than a much more daunting like losing 60 pounds over the year. This cartoon from Randy Glasbergen sums it up pretty well.
Choose to fight. I love this quote attributed to Henry Ford: Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right. You have not been handed a death sentence. I am reminded of some neighbors I once had. They were both smokers, and the husband had to have his foot amputated because of it. He was warned that if he did not significantly cut down on his smoking and start to exercise, he could lose his entire leg. His attitude was “I’d rather die than give up smoking.” If that’s your attitude about food and exercise, you do have a problem. But there is absolutely no reason, other than your own mental attitude, why you cannot live a healthy lifestyle and live to a ripe old age.
Tim's Diabetes Blog 