World Diabetes Day - How diabetes affects your emotional health

Grief, denial, anxiety and depression -- The four major emotions that every diabetic goes through when suffering from diabetes.

Diabetes can be a lonely and stressful journey. However, acknowledging that you are not alone in your fight is the first step towards winning the long battle against diabetes. You can win the fight against diabetes by acknowledging the emotions and then handling them one by one. In a series of interviews of patients fighting diabetes, it was seen that the four major emotions that are often felt by people suffering from diabetes are grief, denial, anxiety and depression. While these emotions are hard to fight, understanding them better helps us stay strong as well help our loved ones fare better. Ms Cynthia War, Psychologist at Grow Fit explains the emotional roller coaster of diabetes. Read about 10 ways diabetes harms your body.

1. Grief: It is an intense sorrow that is felt and this can be a common emotion felt by someone who has just been diagnosed with diabetes. Grief at the complications and the losses, which is then accompanied by denial and anxiety.

2. Denial: Everyone may not feel denial as one may say she/he is not sick or that the sickness is not as serious and it will go away. At times denial is useful in helping us control our emotional reactions, but it can also come in the way of treatment.

3. Anxiety: It is understood to be a feeling of worry and so it is among the first emotions one feels when one learns of the diagnosis and it may be felt throughout the treatment process. It is common to worry about the different lifestyle changes that need to be made, and the fear about the future. Anxiety can also bring about constant worries about the effect of medication, body image as well as possible complications. Here is a diet plan diabetics can use for better blood sugar control.

4. Depression: Constant anxiety and overwhelming grief can lead to depression which is a common reaction to chronic illnesses. It may not be felt immediately and can be delayed as one understands the complexity of the illness in more detail.

How to deal with it?

It is common for everyone to go through the emotional turmoil once diagnosed with diabetes. However, accepting the fact and managing the lifestyle is the best way to fight diabetes. Here are a few tips that can help.

1. Suffering from diabetes means that you have to keep a check on the diet which can sometimes lead to frustration. This is because if you have a strong sweet tooth, it may be difficult to maintain the intake of sugar. In such a case, it is important to be aware and mindful of our state of mind, to know when we are not feeling in sync with the mind and body and how the mood feels off so that it is easy to deal with it.

2. Once you recognise the symptoms of diabetes, you can help just as you get help for other illness. It is important to learn to manage emotional health as instability emotionally can lead to spikes in blood sugar.

3. As you get ready to take on diabetes head on, start sharing your journey with your friends and family. And if you are comfortable enough share it with people whom you think can benefit from your experience. Sharing and learning from others eases our fears as we learn that we are not alone.

4. Talking to a friendly counsellor is perhaps among the best steps you can take in your fight. Your counsellor acts like a friend who not only understands you better but has the knowledge of how to help you deal with the condition emotionally. Here's a real life story of Ashok Jain who was diagnosed with diabetes at 37.

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