Talking About Diabetes Burnout.
Diabetes is every day, but burnout doesn’t have to be.
Posts from the ‘Diabetes and Emotions’ Category
Nov 19
Stigmatized Secrets.
I’ve spent the last few weeks keeping watch on the My Diabetes Secrets Tumblr account (a version of Diabetes PostSecret – more here) and these two submissions keep leaping out at me:
The submissions as stand-alone pieces make me feel like I’m trying to shove limitless emotions into a Ziploc bag, but what kills me is that these were submitted anonymously. There’s still something about diabetes, and the fear and stigma associated with this disease and all its iterations, that keeps people from feeling empowered/supported enough to say this shit out loud.
This week, I received an email from some PR company professing that diabetes is a disease of numbers and control, and when lab work is “in range,” the disease essentially melts away into insignificance.
Oh yeah?
It’s high time for the psychosocial impact of diabetes to be acknowledged. People living with diabetes aren’t ruled entirely by our pancreases … there’s a lot of heart thrown in there, too.
For more anonymous secrets, check out My Diabetes Secret.
Oct 29
Of Cocktails and Community.
“So what you should do is see what people are searching for and then carefully tailor your posts to draw in those searches. Pick the search engine terms that there isn’t a high competition for, giving you an advantage in Google’s search algorithm.”
The example he used was pretty simple: “10 Best Cocktails for People with Diabetes”
In a discussion during the European Bloggers Summit in Barcelona (running alongside EASD), a search engine optimization expert gave a presentation about seeding blog posts with keywords in order to cast a greater net for readership. The SEO strategist was helpful, and had wonderful advice for people who were churning out content to get it read, but my body had a tangible reaction to this kind of advice. I felt myself prickling with frustration because is this really what people are writing for? Page views?
No freaking way. Not in this community.
So the top ten best cocktails for people with diabetes? Fucking sure. Let’s do this, social media-style:
- The #DSMA: Take 140 characters, a hashtag, and equal parts honesty and humor and mix them thoroughly in Twitter. Tastes best on Wednesday nights at 9 pm EST.
- The Blogosphere: Start with a URL or a Feedreader and slap it into the search bar on your mobile device, tablet, or computer, or Google “diabetes blogs” for a list of ingredients. Mix reading these blogs throughout your day for a boost in diabetes empowerment and community.
- The Flaming YouTube: Search through YouTube for diabetes, or “diabetes math,” or “breaking up with diabetes,” or “changing the song on my Animas Ping” and you’ll find a slew of video combinations to add to your playlist. (Title the playlist “Cocktails for Diabetics” and you’ll probably get a lot of search returns, but you’ll also find people who want to be found.)
- The Instagrammed: Take your phone, photograph any ol’ diabetes bit or piece in your house, and mix with Instagram to create a frothy, fun mix of Dexcom graphs, race bibs, brave new infusion set sites, Halloween-candy-casually-pretending-to-be-hypo-treatment, and friends who understand.
- Facebook Your Face: Take your Facebook account and stir gently with groups, hashtags, and posts about diabetes. It may take a while for this mixture to fully set, but once it does, you’ll have a shot of community you can take in one sitting, or something you can sip on and scroll through for hours.
- The Friends for Life: Take one part people with diabetes, one part caregivers, one part educators, one part inspirational athletes, one part Disney World, one part green bracelets, and a billion parts love and throw into a salad shooter and spray that stuff everywhere because in-person diabetes meet-ups and conferences will break your heart and mend it within the course of a week.
- The Group Text: No specific ingredients, but a drink best shared with many. And at 3 am.
- The Call Me: Best served when low, because a phone call to another PWD who understands is the best way to keep from over-treating.
- The Honest-Tea: Equal parts empathy and honesty, this cocktail is a must for people with diabetes who are looking for confirmation that they aren’t alone. It’s not about enabling, but empowering. (Goes really well with a side of Communi-Tea.)
- The Hug: Social media is great, but nothing is better than a hug between two people whose much-loved pancreases have taken an extended leave of absence. There is no set ‘best time’ for this cocktail – serve immediately and enjoy.
People in the diabetes community don’t communicate with one another for page views or Google search prowess. Of course, not everyone’s intentions are the same across the board, and there are people who immerse themselves in a community looking for things that aren’t as altruistic, but the majority of interaction in the DOC, from what I can see, is between people who need each other. That’s why so many of us started doing this, and it’s why so many of us continue.
Because when Google redoes its algorithm and there’s a new system for search engine optimization, when there’s an upheaval in what’s considered the “it” platform for social media, the song remains the same for the DOC. Diabetes, for many, isn’t just in your body but also resides full-time in your head, and managing emotions and support is as essential as insulin (and with a significantly lower copay). It’s not about where the discussions are taking place; it’s about the discussions that are taking place. So “drink” up!
Oct 23
The People in the Computer.
Who are the people in your computer? (In your computer … in your com-puuuuuter …) For me, a whole community of people with diabetes live just a click away.
Oct 16
One Size.
“Just bolus fifteen minutes before you eat, and you won’t see that post-prandial spike.”
“Just bolus thirty-five minutes before you eat, and you won’t see a post-prandial spike.”
“Have you thought about Levemir?”
“Have you tried Apridra?”
“Have you seen any difference between Humalog and Novolog?”
“If I use the Opsite tape, I can get a sensor to stay on for ten days.”
“I use a tubed pump.”
“I use a patch pump.”
“I use pens.”
“I need a dual-wave bolus for pizza.”
“I use a square-wave bolus for pizza.”
“I use my insulin pen like four times for pizza.”
“You eat pizza?!”
Even though we are living with the “same” disease, the way we manage is different for each one of us. One size, or one management plan, does not fit all. (And one size doesn’t even fit for the same person every day … see also “insanity.”)
Oct 9
Be An Athlete: Redux.
Do what you can to be an athlete, even if it’s a word you want to whisper to yourself before you go to bed.
“Athlete.”
Related posts:
Oct 8
Revisiting Resolutions.
Almost a year ago, I resolved (in that non-resolution sort of way) to aim for more balance in 2013.
Now it’s October, and I’m fairly sure the quest for some kind of balance wasn’t entirely achieved. But that’s okay, right?
Maybe it’s not about achieving balance, but staying in constant pursuit of it.
Did you set resolutions for 2013? Now that we’re at the end of the year, how strong was your resolve? (Isn’t there a rug cleaner called Resolve?)
