There is so much judgment in a T2 diagnosis; blame and guilt are the first two that come to mind!

You:  “How could I do this to myself?”

Them: “How could you do this to yourself?”

Them:  “I told you that you were eating too many carbs and sugar”

Them:  “All fat people are diabetics”

Then comes the fear:

You:  “Am I going to die? Should I contact my broker to update my Will?”

Your:  “What happens if I pass out, or go into a coma?”

Finding the happy mood balance between highs and lows is hard work, and requires constant “checking in” with yourself.

How did you feel when you heard those words at the doctor’s office? “Your HbA1c is higher than 6% and that is a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes”. In my case, I didn’t even know what questions to ask. I don’t remember “feeling anything” as I was sent home with a script, a Medical Aid Chronic Meds Application and a head full of questions.

You sometimes might also feel totally overwhelmed with the constant thoughts about whether a food item is going to spike or raise your blood sugar. Working out the carbs and medication is stressful enough! Then the high cost of medication, when your Medical Aid tells you that you don’t have enough funds for your strips, you actually can’t test as often as you would like!

How to move forward:

1. Find your breath. Remember, a human being can last 40 days without food and 2 weeks without water, but we can’t last 60 seconds without oxygen. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, STOP, lift your arms above your head, and breathe in through your nose for 5 seconds, and breathe out through your mouth for 5 seconds. Repeat this exercise 5 times.
2. Keep a diary /journal, especially for the days when you’re at your “lowest”. Record things like, your blood sugar, your mood, your sleep pattern, if you have your period (or are about to have your period), if you’re hungry, and any other information that could be contributing to the way you’re feeling. That way you can establish a pattern, and look at corrective measures. I shared a blog just recently on Journaling.
3. Don’t keep quiet. Share your emotions with your family / loved ones and friends. If you don’t find support with them, I suggest you join a Facebook or WhatsApp Group with like-minded people, who have the same struggles. Sometimes we just need someone to say they know what you’re feeling, and to put perspective to your emotions.
4. Take a walk. Force yourself to put on those walking shoes and get some air. Your mind talk will clear, and the oxygen to your brain will help you calm down. Getting out in the fresh air is also good for our Vitamin D intake.

And here is the thing with our mental health. 90% of our hormones are created in our gut. Serotonin, which is our mood stabilizer (the “happy hormone””, and Dopamine, (the “pleasure hormone”) are both created in our gut and dependent on the food we eat. These are our body’s chemical messengers to the brain. So finding an eating plan that promotes “happy and healthy” foods will certainly help with our mental health.

In order to get these two hormones working well, we need to feed our gut with great microbiome-feeding foods like quality, grass-fed animal protein, and dairy (grass-fed because its organic with no antibiotics), quality organic cruciferous vegetables because the chlorophyll (green colour) is said to help with blood detoxification, odour control, wound healing, gut health, energy, immune system support and cancer prevention. Yellow and Orange by nature are happy colours, and these vegetables contain carotenoids that provide the yellow, orange, and red colours in fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids act as antioxidants in your body. This means they tackle harmful free radicals that damage tissues throughout your body. Just the thought makes you happy!

Other foods you can eat are Omega-3 rich foods like salmon and sardines, organic eggs, almonds and walnuts and even a good quality dark chocolate!

But if you feel you are just not coping, it is imperative that you discuss your concerns with your healthcare provider.