Learning that you have an illness of any kind can cause stress, depression, anger and anxiety. From needing an emergency appendectomy to suffering from pneumonia, illnesses are often difficult both physically and emotionally to understand and overcome. However, when you suffer from a chronic illness, or a disease that has developed gradually and is long–lasting, you do not have the comfort of knowing that the pain can be relieved with surgery or the symptoms will dissipate in a few weeks, leaving you illness free. Instead, receiving the news that you have a chronic condition can be overwhelming and devastating for many. In fact, many of those newly diagnosed with chronic illnesses undergo the same stages of grief that those dealing with the loss of a loved one will experience.
Denial. Your initial reaction to your doctor’s news that you have diabetes may be denial. You may feel that there has been a mistake or that the tests need to be run again. Denial is a perfectly natural response to such news. However, not allowing denial to overrun your emotions can keep you from minimizing the significance of your diagnosis. While denial is normal on some levels, you must be careful to not allow it to escalate to a point where you do not care for yourself because you do not believe your illness exists.
Anger. While denial may be an emotion you experience, it may also be accompanied by anger. Many diabetics will be overcome with anger because they feel a loss of control. Like denial, anger is an appropriate response. However, you must learn to deal with anger in a healthy manner. For instance, talking about your feelings with your family, friends or doctor is a way to express your anger and begin to understand it. Also, learning as much as you can about diabetes will help you to understand the disease and take the necessary steps to control it.
Guilt. Feeling guilty, as if your actions some how or some way caused the situation, is also a common response to being diagnosed with diabetes. In truth, some guilt can be a healthy motivator, urging you to make important lifestyle changes such as beginning an exercise routine and eating a balanced diet. However, it is also necessary to understand that things are often beyond your control. With factors such as heredity playing a role in the possible causes of diabetes, it is impossible and unhealthy to solely blame yourself for your diagnosis.
Fear. Fear is another natural response when you learn you have a chronic illness. Most fear results from lack of knowledge. Not knowing the specifics of diabetes can cause feelings of anxiety and helplessness. The fear of the loss of independence also weighs heavily on many people’s minds. And, while it is true that diabetes will cause drastic changes in your day to day routine, many diabetics are able to lead totally independent, full lives simply by making changes toward a more healthy lifestyle.
Depression. All of the above emotions can lead to depression, which is probably the most common reaction those suffering from chronic disease face. Newly diagnosed diabetics may feel sad and tired all the time which are signs of depression. You may feel unmotivated to do activities you once enjoyed, like playing with your children or grandchildren or shopping with a friend. You also may have trouble eating or sleeping or you may eat or sleep too much. These are all common signs of depression, many of which will make you feel worse. In extreme cases, depressed individuals may even have thoughts of suicide. While it is unrealistic to believe that you won’t feel saddened or depressed on some level, it is important to remember that depression is also a medical condition that should be monitored and treated. To deal with depression in a healthy manner consider
- talking with your doctor about your feelings;
- visiting with friend and family regularly;
- joining a support group where you can discuss your experiences with others suffering from the same disease;
- doing things you enjoy;
- making changes to your regular routine slowly;
- controlling your blood sugar to avoid sudden ups and downs; and
- taking life one day at a time.
Acceptance. The goal of learning to cope with diabetes is accepting the disease and its continual presence in your life. Once you have accepted this, you will be able to take the appropriate steps to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and controlling your diabetes. Remember, you are not expected to accept your diabetes minutes after receiving the news. Denial, anger, guilt, fear and depression are all healthy stages of response that you may need to emotionally prepare for acceptance. It will take time, knowledge, and the support of family, friends, and your doctor to reach a level of full acceptance where you feel good about yourself and about achieving a lifestyle that allows you to adequately control your disease.
The key to coping with diabetes or any other chronic disease is arming yourself with as much information as possible. The more you know about your disease, the easier it is to understand, adjust to and live with.