LiveFree with T1D

With your mental health with T1D, avoidance doesn't work.

In fact, when you avoid our negative emotions, it keeps you stuck in these emotions and you get the exact opposite results that you were hoping for.

 n this episode of the podcast, I talk all about avoidance and how it's the wrong strategy to break free from the stress of diabetes. You’ll learn why it's natural to avoid uncomfortable emotions, but also how this avoidance is counterproductive to living free with T1D.

Ready to conquer your fear of low blood sugar and take your life back? Click the link below to join the next cohort of the Conquer Your Fear of Low Blood Sugar program:

https://www.thediabetespsychologist.com/fearoflows

You are going to have setbacks in your mental health journey with T1D. As much as I wish that you won’t, the path to emotional health is never a straight line. Expect there to be bumps along the road.

The issue isn’t experiencing setbacks; it’s about being prepared for them and recognizing the progress you’ve made when facing setbacks.

In reality, the path to emotional health with T1D is a lifelong journey; it’s not a destination.

Setbacks in your mental health with T1D are an important part of your growth. If you don’t experience setbacks, you will never be able to move beyond where you are right now.

In this episode, I talk about the importance of being prepared for (and even expecting) setbacks in your mental health journey with type 1 diabetes. You’ll see how your approach to the setback can either be a launching pad for success or a recipe for failure, and it all depends on your mindset.

Most of the folks I talk to feel like a prisoner of their blood sugars. They feel their glucose numbers dictate what they can and can't do, and they tell me they feel trapped—and like there's nothing they can do about it.

It's true that managing T1D can feel overwhelming, and sometimes, your blood sugars do hold you back.

But, do they have to hold you back all the time?

I know that they DON'T!

How can you break free from being a Blood Sugar Prisoner and transform into a LiveFree Warrior?

That's what I am talking about this week on the podcast.

In the latest episode of the podcast I dig into some of the reasons you feel trapped by your blood sugars and give you some tips on how to break free from your blood sugar prison. Then I describe what it means to become a LiveFree Warrior and show you a path to get there.

Raise your hand if you ever over-treat your low blood sugars! 🙋‍♂️

If you tell me that you don’t, you either have a tremendous amount of self-control, or you’re lying!

Your brain is telling your body “I need food or else…” and it’s really hard (sometimes even impossible) not to over-treat.

But you know that when you eat the entire refrigerator when your glucose is low, you usually skyrocket your blood sugar and end up on a rollercoaster. 🎢

And we all know that never feels good.

But what can you do to avoid over-treating your lows?

In the latest episode​​​, we talk all about over-treating lows. You’ll learn why you do it (both psychologically and physiologically), and more importantly, what you can do to stop yourself when the urge to over-treat comes on strong.

Your emotions about T1D play a important role in your life, but here’s a surprising revelation…

Their role is NOT to tell you facts. 😮

Emotions are designed to keep you safe, even if it means believing things that aren’t entirely true.

The good news is, if your emotions aren’t facts, they don’t have to control your life! 🎉

In this week’s episode of the ​​LiveFree with T1D Podcast​​, I talk about the role your emotions should play in your life with T1D. You’ll discover that when you see emotions for what they truly are (hint: remnants from caveman days), you can start living the life you desire, regardless of how T1D makes you feel.

Listen to this episode now to learn how to transform your relationship with negative T1D-related emotions and take back your power, even when it feels impossible.

Life with T1D can be demanding, testing our patience and resilience in ways that many others might not fully understand. It's a journey filled with ups and downs, and it's easy to focus on the challenges. However, I want to invite you to shift your perspective and consider the incredible growth that can emerge from these challenges.

You see, a growth mindset is all about believing in your ability to develop and improve. It's about understanding that challenges and setbacks are opportunities for growth and learning. By embracing this mindset, you can transform the way you approach your diabetes.

In this week's episode of the ​LiveFree with T1D Podcast​, I talk about why having a growth mindset in your life with T1D is not only possible, but also necessary for your mental health. I give you some practical tools you can use to start cultivating a growth mindset in your life with T1D.

Click HERE to Become a Member of the LiveFree with T1D Community on Facebook – It’s Your Free Support Network! 

How motivated are you to manage your blood sugars?

I'm sure you know that motivation is a tricky thing. It isn't possible to just snap your fingers and have motivation appear out of thin air.

And even if you feel motivated to manage your diabetes one minute, it's not uncommon for that motivation to disappear the next.

While motivation can be fleeting, there's another tool in our arsenal – discipline.

Discipline is the unwavering commitment to show up, work hard, and make the right choices every single day, even when motivation wanes. Motivation might get you started, but it's discipline that keeps you going.

This is especially true as you figure out how to consistently manage your blood sugars day after day.

In this episode, I talk about how discipline always trumps motivation when it comes to managing diabetes. I'll show you what discipline can look like in your life with diabetes, and how to start implementing these disciplines into your daily life.

Click HERE to Become a Member of the LiveFree with T1D Community on Facebook – It’s Your Free Support Network! 

Instead of setting “resolutions” for 2024, I decided to set T1D + mental health intentions for myself — and I want to encourage you to do the same thing for yourself.

We all want to be more free and flexible in our lives with T1D, and this requires being intentional in how we think about and interact with our diabetes.

My intentions for 2024 are:

In this episode I talk about my intentions and how I will use them to support me in my life with T1D. I hope you can use my process as a model to develop your own T1D + mental health intentions for 2024.

Low blood sugar sucks for many reasons.

Of course, it makes your body feel pretty awful, but it also brings up some really uncomfortable emotions.

The other day, I was talking to someone about low blood sugar, and a light bulb came on for them. 💡

They realized that they were actually more scared of the feeling of being scared than they were of going low.

They knew they could bring up their blood sugar. However, they were unsure if they’d be able to handle their own fear.

Uncomfortable emotions (especially fear) are not, well, comfortable.

But with some simple tools and skills, you’ll be able to see that you can handle them.

In the latest episode of the LiveFree with T1D Podcast, I talk about what you can do to reframe how you think about the uncomfortable emotions you have when you think about low blood sugar. You’ll see how much your thoughts impact how you feel.

Click HERE to Become a Member of the LiveFree with T1D Community on Facebook – It’s Your Free Support Network!