How to build clinical, personal, and peer support teams that actually reduce diabetes distress. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D.

What You'll Learn

• Support team types - Clinical, personal, and peer support networks
• Gap identification - How to spot missing support areas
• Team building - Simple steps to expand your support network
• November preview - 'Mind the Gap' theme for getting back on track

Three Support Teams
Clinical: Endocrinologist, educator, primary care | Personal: Family, friends, people who check in | Peer: Other T1Ds who say 'me too'

Take Action
Ready to assess your own diabetes distress? Both the T1-DDS-7 (quick) and 28-question (detailed) assessments are available at Neil's website.

Resources
Helpful resources and newsletter: yourbestt1dyear.com

Sponsor
Blue Circle Health offers free coaching and care that fits real life. Sign up free: bluecirclehealth.org

Connect
Instagram: @thebetes | TikTok: @the.betes | Website: yourbestt1dyear.com

Books on Amazon: Type 1 Diabetes - One Day at a Time or Type 1 Diabetes - True Stories

How to audit and adjust your CGM and pump alarms to reduce tech-related diabetes distress. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D.

What You'll Learn

• Alarm fatigue - Why too many alerts increase stress and burnout
• Settings audit - How to review and adjust CGM/pump thresholds
• Alert zones - Different settings for day vs night
• Smart silence - Using snooze strategically to manage mental load

Tech Clean-Up Steps

Take Action
Ready to assess your own diabetes distress? Both the T1-DDS-7 (quick) and 28-question (detailed) assessments are available at Neil's website.

Resources
Helpful resources and newsletter: yourbestt1dyear.com

Sponsor
Blue Circle Health offers free coaching and care that fits real life. Sign up free: bluecirclehealth.org

Connect
Instagram: @thebetes | TikTok: @the.betes | Website: yourbestt1dyear.com

Books on Amazon: Type 1 Diabetes - One Day at a Time or Type 1 Diabetes - True Stories

Neil Greathouse sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Bill Polonsky, founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute and one of the pioneers behind the concept of diabetes distress.
They unpack what diabetes distress really is (and what it isn’t), why it’s so common, and how both people with T1D and their caregivers can navigate the emotional weight of this disease without shame or burnout.
This conversation is equal parts validation and practical encouragement—proof that you’re not broken, you’re just managing something relentlessly difficult.

What You’ll Learn

• The difference between diabetes distress vs. depression—and why antidepressants don’t fix burnout
• How often people with T1D experience distress (spoiler: almost everyone does at some point)
• What the Type 1 Diabetes Distress Assessment System (T1-DDS) measures and how to use it
• Why caregivers—especially parents—experience their own version of distress
• How to rebuild hope and control when diabetes feels overwhelming

Take Action

👉 Take the free T1-DDS 7-question or 29-question assessment at diabetesdistress.org
to better understand your current level of distress.
👉 Share your results with your healthcare team or a friend who “gets it.”
👉 Remember: you’re not failing—you’re learning how to manage something relentless.

Resources

• T1-DDS Assessments & Research: diabetesdistress.org
• Your Best T1D Year newsletter + free resources: https://yourbestt1dyear.com
• Behavioral Diabetes Institute: https://behavioraldiabetes.org

Sponsor

💙 Blue Circle Health offers free coaching and care that fits real life.
Get matched with a real diabetes care team at https://bluecirclehealth.org

Connect

📱 Instagram → @thebetes
📱 TikTok → @the.betes
🌐 Website → https://yourbestt1dyear.com

Books by Neil Greathouse

📚 Type 1 Diabetes – One Day at a Time
📚 Type 1 Diabetes – True Stories
Available on Amazon, Kindle, and Audible

Why connecting with other T1Ds can reduce diabetes distress and where to find real support. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D.

What You'll Learn

• Support types - Formal groups, online communities, one-on-one connections
• Research benefits - How peer support reduces distress and builds confidence
• Finding community - Where to connect with people who actually get it
• Quality markers - Empathy and 'me too' moments vs judgment

Support Options

Formal Groups: Clinic or nonprofit programs | Online Communities: Instagram, TikTok, forums | Personal Connections: Mentors, friends, text support

Take Action
Ready to assess your own diabetes distress? Both the T1-DDS-7 (quick) and 28-question (detailed) assessments are available at Neil's website.

Resources
Helpful resources and newsletter: yourbestt1dyear.com

Sponsor
Blue Circle Health offers free coaching and care that fits real life. Sign up free: bluecirclehealth.org

Connect
Instagram: @thebetes | TikTok: @the.betes | Website: yourbestt1dyear.com

Books on Amazon: Type 1 Diabetes - One Day at a Time or Type 1 Diabetes - True Stories

Practical mindfulness techniques that actually work for people with type 1 diabetes. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D.

What You'll Learn

• Practical techniques - CGM pause, 60-second reset, name without judgment
• Research benefits - How mindfulness reduces distress and improves decisions
• Real-life application - No mountaintop meditation required
• Quick practices - 10 minutes daily makes a measurable difference

Three Simple Techniques

Take Action
Ready to assess your own diabetes distress? Both the T1-DDS-7 (quick) and 28-question (detailed) assessments are available at Neil's website.

Resources
Helpful resources and newsletter: yourbestt1dyear.com

Sponsor
Blue Circle Health offers free coaching and care that fits real life. Sign up free: bluecirclehealth.org

Connect
Instagram: @thebetes | TikTok: @the.betes | Website: yourbestt1dyear.com

Books on Amazon: Type 1 Diabetes - One Day at a Time or Type 1 Diabetes - True Stories

Research shows two proven approaches to reducing diabetes distress - skills-based and emotion-focused. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D.

What You'll Learn

• T1-REDEEM study results - Two proven paths to reduce diabetes distress
• Skills-based approach - Problem-solving, decision-making, management confidence
• Emotion-focused approach - Self-compassion, burnout coping, emotional load
• Path selection - How to identify which approach you need right now

Two Proven Approaches
Skills Path: Better troubleshooting, updated settings, management refreshers

Feelings Path: Self-compassion, emotional support, burnout relief

Take Action
Ready to assess your own diabetes distress? Both the T1-DDS-7 (quick) and 28-question (detailed) assessments are available at Neil's website.

Resources
Helpful resources and newsletter: yourbestt1dyear.com

Sponsor
Blue Circle Health offers free coaching and care that fits real life. Sign up free: bluecirclehealth.org

Connect
Instagram: @thebetes | TikTok: @the.betes | Website: yourbestt1dyear.com

Books on Amazon: Type 1 Diabetes - One Day at a Time or Type 1 Diabetes - True Stories

How to identify your personal diabetes distress triggers with a simple tracking method. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D.

What You'll Learn

• Trigger identification - Simple method to spot your diabetes distress patterns
• Tracking technique - What happened, what triggered it, how you felt
• Pattern recognition - How to map recurring stress points
• Actionable data - Using trigger info to address root causes

Simple Tracking Method

Take Action
Ready to assess your own diabetes distress? Both the T1-DDS-7 (quick) and 28-question (detailed) assessments are available at Neil's website.

Resources
Helpful resources and newsletter: yourbestt1dyear.com

Sponsor
Blue Circle Health offers free coaching and care that fits real life. Sign up free: bluecirclehealth.org

Connect
Instagram: @thebetes | TikTok: @the.betes | Website: yourbestt1dyear.com

Books on Amazon: Type 1 Diabetes - One Day at a Time or Type 1 Diabetes - True Stories

The detailed 28-question diabetes distress scale reveals exactly where stress hits hardest. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D.

What You'll Learn

• Distress categories - Powerlessness, management, hypoglycemia, healthcare, family, eating, social
• Detailed assessment - How the 28-question version provides specific insights
• Personalized results - Why seeing exact struggle areas matters
• Solution guidance - How detailed scores guide targeted interventions

The 7 Distress Categories

Take Action
Ready to assess your own diabetes distress? Both the T1-DDS-7 (quick) and 28-question (detailed) assessments are available at Neil's website.

Resources
Helpful resources and newsletter: yourbestt1dyear.com

Sponsor
Blue Circle Health offers free coaching and care that fits real life. Sign up free: bluecirclehealth.org

Connect
Instagram: @thebetes | TikTok: @the.betes | Website: yourbestt1dyear.com

Books on Amazon: Type 1 Diabetes - One Day at a Time or Type 1 Diabetes - True Stories

The Other Side of Type 1 Diabetes: My Wife Gina on What It’s Really Like

Thirty years, three DKAs, countless alarms - and one marriage that somehow survived it all.

In this episode, Neil sits down with his wife Gina Greathouse for the conversation everyone’s been waiting for. Together, they talk about what diabetes distress really does - not just to the person living with type 1 diabetes, but to the person who loves them, supports them, and sometimes carries the weight right alongside them.

This is the real, unfiltered, funny, heartfelt look at love, marriage, and the mental load of life with T1D.

What You’ll Learn

• Partner perspective – What it’s really like to love someone with type 1 diabetes

• Emotional honesty – The tension between helping and not nagging

• Marriage under pressure – How distress, burnout, and fear show up in daily life

• How they healed – What changed when Neil began working on diabetes instead of reacting to it

Big Takeaways

1. Diabetes affects both of you.

The distress isn’t one-sided. When T1D moves into a marriage, both people feel it - one physically, one emotionally.

2. Communication changes everything.

Gina shares how they learned to talk with each other instead of around diabetes, especially when burnout hit.

3. Small wins build real trust.

As Neil began simplifying his diabetes management, the emotional load for both of them got lighter. Simple daily habits turned fear into confidence.

Take Action

Ready to assess your own diabetes distress or explore tools that strengthen your support system?

Take the T1-DDS-7 (quick) or 30-question version at yourbestt1dyear.com.

Resources

Helpful resources, free guides, and newsletter: yourbestt1dyear.com

Sponsor

Blue Circle Health offers free coaching and coordinated care that fits real life - from mental health support to prescription help.

Now available in 16 states across the U.S.

Sign up free: bluecirclehealth.org

Connect

Instagram: @thebetes

TikTok: @the.betes

Website: yourbestt1dyear.com

Books on Amazon:

Type 1 Diabetes: One Day at a Time

Type 1 Diabetes: True Stories

Your diabetes distress score is a tool, not a judgment. Here's how to use it constructively. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D.

What You'll Learn

• Score interpretation - What low, moderate, and high distress scores actually mean
• Tools vs judgments - How to use your score as information, not self-criticism
• Self-comparison - Why comparing only to yourself matters
• Actionable insights - How to identify which questions hit you hardest

Key Takeaways
Your score isn't a grade. Distress scores are flashlights to show where pressure points are, not hammers to beat yourself up with.

Compare to yourself only. Your distress journey is unique - focus on your own patterns and progress.

Take Action
Ready to assess your own diabetes distress? Both the T1-DDS-7 (quick) and 28-question (detailed) assessments are available at Neil's website.

Resources
Helpful resources and newsletter: yourbestt1dyear.com

Sponsor
Blue Circle Health offers free coaching and care that fits real life. Sign up free: bluecirclehealth.org

Connect
Instagram: @thebetes | TikTok: @the.betes | Website: yourbestt1dyear.com

Books on Amazon: Type 1 Diabetes - One Day at a Time or Type 1 Diabetes - True Stories