Lifestyle changes: Making them… and sticking with them
If you have just been diagnosed with diabetes or have had diabetes for a while, you may need to make some lifestyle changes to help you feel better. But changing daily habits is not always easy.
Psychologist C. Alan Steed with Allina Mental Health coaches people with diabetes on making lifestyle changes. He offers these suggestions.
Understand why you are making a change.
It is important to understand why you are making changes. You need to see the benefit to you and make it your commitment.
Set reasonable and achievable goals.
"If you fail, your goal may be too broad," says Steed. "Make it more specific. For example, instead of saying I'm going to lose 20 pounds a month, make it one to two pounds a week."
Remember...
- Diabetes is treatable and manageable.
- How you perceive your illness will determine how you will manage it.
- You need to recognize the change before it can happen.
- If you are not ready to make the change, make gradual steps toward the action of making change.
- Life will change, but can this really be worse then how you were feeling?
Expect setbacks.
Setbacks will happen. This doesn't mean you can let everything you have done go back to zero.
Get back on track. Don't let a defeat undermine the process of making a change.
Don't be hard on yourself.
Change takes time, so don't be hard on yourself. You are more than your illness.
You have diabetes. You are not diabetes.
Use a support system.
You need support. Join a group or get support from people who know about diabetes.
"Someone who has diabetes can offer valuable information when it comes to making lifestyle changes," says Steed.
Allina Mental Health
Allina Mental Health services can help with behaviors, such as diet, exercise and managing medicines. They also can help you deal with thoughts, feelings, and grief issues and also provide support for an illness. For more information visit www.allina.com/mentalhealth.
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Source: C. Alan Steed, PhD, lead psychologist, Allina Mental Health
First published: 02/06/2009
Last updated: 02/06/2009
Reviewed by: Mary Frederick, RN, MS, CDE, diabetes program manager, Allina Medical Clinic
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