A motivated diabetic will, in the most part, be a happy diabetic. Living with diabetes can take its toll on us. It is always there in the back of our mind, every waking minute you are aware of it. Some even have trouble with sleep patterns, partly down to diabetes in my opinion. Anxiety of a night-time hypo can really effect a persons sleeping patterns.

Staying on top of my diabetes is one of the top priorities in my life. I try my best everyday to keep on top of the numbers and stay in tight control. For me to do that I need to keep motivated, and that can be more difficult than it sounds.

How I stay motivated

To remain motivated in my diabetes care I have lots of thoughts and views to keep me on track.

Remember it’s only a number

A blood sugar reading is a number. It’s not a bad number or a good number. It is a snapshot of your current blood sugar level. It is there for your information, to help you in deciding what to do next to kick diabetes ass. If it’s not where you want it to be, take action to get the number in your target range. When it is back where you want it, you have won. Winning will always motivate humans, it’s instinct for us.

Have realistic targets

There is no point in setting yourself a blood sugar range of 5.2 to 5.8 at all times. This will just lead to a feeling of failure. I have my targets set to attainable levels. By doing this I get a feeling of success a lot more than the feeling of failure. All psychological but it really helps with motivation.

Fear of complications

This is a biggy for me. The thought of what can happen later in life scares the bejusus out of me. I find this a huge motivation to keep my numbers on track.

Being part of the DOC

Being an active member of the diabetes online community really motivates me to be in control. To have daily contact with others who ”get it” really is an inspirational thing. I have made at least 10 good friends since having diabetes, each of them inspire me daily to be a better diabetic and a better person.

If you are not part of the online community a great place to start is Twitter. Check out the #GBdoc on there, great bunch of people and a real inspiration.

A competitive streak

Having a competitive personality really motivates me. I like to always do better than I have previously. I can use this to my advantage in the control of my diabetes. If today has been a bad day, just set yourself the goal that tomorrow will be a better day. Meet the goal and you get the feeling of winning and motivation is raised in the process.

Count your blessings

Don’t let yourself wallow in the blame game for your diabetes. You didn’t ask for this and certainly never caused it. Instead count your blessings. Family, friends, happiness, the NHS, the fact you have access to insulin, peer support. The list of blessings can be endless if you sit and really think about it, and will be a huge motivator for most.

Impressing your Endo

Yeah right!! Lots of people find motivation in this, and there is nothing wrong with that. For me though it is my diabetes and not theirs. If they are happy with me then that’s great, if not then so be it. I will always try my best in controlling my diabetes, that’s all I can do in reality.

Avoid negative people

Sounds a bit harsh but in reality we are all doing it. We all know a negative outlook from others will rub off on you. I always try to help  others who are having a bad day, a few words of encouragement go a long way. However the ”woe is me” brigade need to help themselves, there are professionals who can help with this. A positive view on life makes all the difference in my opinion.

Involve yourself in charity

Doing something for others is a surefire way to up your motivation levels. Get involved in volunteering, do a sponsored charity event, just do anything that makes you feel good.

Supporting my latest challenge would mean the world to me. Support me in London Marathon 2018

I am doing the London Marathon next year as my personal challenge Type1Bri’s Motivation

Do whatever works for you to keep motivated. The few points above are some of the things which keep my mind focused. In truth this blog could have been a lot longer but time has eluded me.

For now

Take care and motivation is everywhere

Type1Bri