Living with diabetes can be stressful and all consuming. If you, or a family member, has been diagnosed it is natural to feel anxious and or worry about how to manage the condition effectively. Over time, you will build confidence and strategies to make management part of everyday life. 

Here are 10 ways to improve diabetes anxiety:

1. Limit your Information Intake

Have you ever spent hours online, reading every article about your symptoms and letting Dr Google diagnose you? By doing this you only achieve heightened anxiety and a false diagnosis. So why do the same if you have an official Diabetes diagnosis? 

We all do it as we want to find the answers or reveal the magic lifestyle hack that will improve blood sugars or lead to less testing.  However, while we need knowledge to empower us, too much – especially the wrong kind – can just make us feel more anxious. Facebook groups can be particularly bad for this as living with

diabetes is a very personal experience to you.

2. Increase Your Knowledge

It is important to understand your diabetes and empower yourself with knowledge, so you feel more confident. Just be targeted about getting this from trusted sources.

JDRF, World Diabetes Day (WDD) and Diabetes UK are good places to start.  There are also some great books available for adults and children, and JDRF and Diabetes UK have helpful resources for children, families and schools. 

Your Diabetes Team may run courses on carb counting and additional support via a specialist dietician.

4. Learn Grounding Techniques

Sometimes, no matter what we do, there will still be moments that overwhelm us or when the anxiety rises up. This is normal and natural, but it's important to know how to respond because increased adrenaline can effect your blood sugars.

Firstly, don't try to ignore it or escape it – recognise the feelings and know your brain is just trying to keep you safe.

Practice grounding techniques, which help bring us out of our heads and back to our bodies. This can be breathing

exercises, smiling to relax your nervous system, or using the 5,4,3,2,1 technique.  The Smile App features several of these different techniques for your to explore.

5. Show Self Compassion

Living with diabetes can be difficult and exhausting. You may often feel on high alert or on edge and worry that you are never doing enough to stay safe.

Experiencing a severe hypo or hyper is a traumatic experience that can leave you feeling scared, overwhelmed and fuel your anxieties further. Show yourself some self compassion and think about how you would talk to a friend going through the same thing.

6. Build Your Tribe

Having other people who 'get it' is a really important part of managing a health condition. 

You may find these through social media, in person support groups or online forums. It is not about the quantity

of people you speak to (see the point about limiting information intake) but about the quality of support. We all need a tribe to support us through life and these are the people you will reach out to when times get

tough, knowing that they understand.

7. Break the Cycle of Avoidance

When you are feeling anxious, it is natural to want to avoid situations that make you worried. It feels safer and more secure. However, regularly doing this can fuel your anxieties further as it tricks your brain into thinking the reason nothing bad happened was because you avoided it. This, in turn, can make you less able to tackle challenging

situations and more likely to carry on avoiding them. Over time, this can shrink your social interactions and limit your life. 

Diabetes is always going to be part of your decision making, but avoidance allows it to start controlling you.

8. Work Through the 'What If's'

What if I hypo at work or school? 

What if my blood sugars go high and I'm sick?

What if my insulin management fails? 

We often discount the good days and only focus on catastrophising any future event, which then feels bigger and more likely. Try to look at what you can control, everything you have in place to manage your diabetes, and the positive or neutral possibilities.

Also, re-engage with the 'what is' instead and try to look at the present - we can't predict the future; all we do know about is the now.

9. Keep an Evidence Diary

What did I eat before I went hyper? 

How much exercise had I done before that hypo? 

How hot or cold was the weather that day? 

What have you learnt or changed? 

Keeping a written evidence diary of all these things helps us have something tangible to look at and remember all the ways you have overcome challenges up until now. This can help dampen the anxiety and reinforce the fact that you have more control than you think.

10. Look After Yourself

When your mind is in overdrive, on high alert, it can be very difficult to relax. Your body constantly has adrenaline and cortisol coursing round it trying to make sure you are ready for danger. 

This also can lead to increased blood sugar levels, so it is important to prioritise your self care. Focus on your sleep first as this is a core foundation. Try to eat well and regularly and get some exercise. Then make space for 'you time' - schedule it in and slow down. Finally, seek some support. You do not have to live in a state of anxiety to stay safe and you deserve to live a full and fun life alongside your diabetes.

Smile is a mental health app for people managing chronic physical health conditions. To access the resources mentioned above, download the app now from Google Play or ​Apple App store.