How to banish INSIDE: diabetes burnout · Tips to help teenagers and theirfamilies avoid diabetes...

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February 2017 Volume 19 Number 2 £2.50 ISSN 1476-9603 DIABETES WELLNESS NETWORK TM YOUR INTERACTIVE DIABETES SUPPORT SYSTEM INSIDE: How to banish diabetes burnout 1 & 6 Get involved! DRWF Fundraising and Events News 4-5 DRWF Research into new treatments for type 1 diabetes 7 And featuring: News update 2-3 Tale End 8 Diabe Diabe t t es es W W ellness N ellness N e e w w s s How to banish diabetes burnout Burnout can do everything it can to stop teenagers and young people looking after the self-management of their diabetes, and it can push parents of families affected into a spiral of feeling nothing is good enough. It can make people dread going to the clinic as it encourages you to feel guilty if glucose (blood sugar) levels are not “good enough”. Don’t despair! There are ways to turn down the burn and get life back on track. Living with diabetes requires a lot of effort on the part of the young person who has the condition (whether type 1 or type 2). They need to think about what they eat, take the “right” amount of insulin and manage exercise. This can be very tiring as it takes a lot of effort. Young people who take on most of the responsibility for managing diabetes may notice they miss clinic appointments, forget to take their insulin, or stop bothering to pay attention to what they are eating, or what their blood sugar levels are. This can lead to tension and arguments at home if parents get worried and start reminding their child what needs to be done, which, in turn, can often have the effect of increasing any feelings of frustration. Young people with diabetes often tell me: “On the one hand I want to, and on the other hand I don’t want to,” or “I know I should, but I just can’t be bothered,” when describing the self-management of their diabetes. They can get more and more fed up and unhappy with the situation, with a common complaint being: “The harder I try the worse it gets.” Burnout can have the effect of making young people suffering from it appear to be difficult, non-compliant or “bad”. Coping with diabetes as a family Parents, siblings and families often get forgotten when a family member has diabetes. They have to live with diabetes too. Parents of younger children usually need to take on most of the management - even when their child is at school. Parents of teenagers have to balance encouraging independence with worry about safety and “letting go”. Burnout makes parents and young people with diabetes feel that the condition has taken over. It can feel like there is no way to deal with the endless attention the condition demands. Burnout in parents has the opposite effect to young people. Rather than forgetting to do the things that need doing, parents cannot stop thinking about them. Constant worrying about getting blood sugar readings “right,” constant testing 24 hours a day (especially in younger children) and constantly reminding and checking levels. For most parents this is a “normal” state of affairs. But when they become completely exhausted and frustrated and distressed about “never getting it right” then the flames of burnout have been ignited. Continued on page 6 Deborah Christie, Professor of Paediatric and Adolescent Psychology at University College London Hospitals, on how to avoid “burnout” from diabetes for young people with the condition and their families. Tips for young people with diabetes and their families

Transcript of How to banish INSIDE: diabetes burnout · Tips to help teenagers and theirfamilies avoid diabetes...

Page 1: How to banish INSIDE: diabetes burnout · Tips to help teenagers and theirfamilies avoid diabetes burnout Continued from page 1 The following tips are designed to help ease the management

February 2017

Volume 19Number 2

£2.50

ISSN 1476-9603

DIABETES WELLNESS NETWORKTM YOUR INTERACTIVE DIABETES SUPPORT SYSTEM

INSIDE:

How to banish diabetes burnout

1 & 6

Get involved! DRWFFundraising andEvents News

4-5

DRWF Researchinto new treatmentsfor type 1 diabetes

7

And featuring:

News update2-3

Tale End 8

DiabeDiabettesesWWellness Nellness Neewwss

How to banish diabetes burnout

Burnout can do everything it can to stopteenagers and young people looking after theself-management of their diabetes, and it canpush parents of families affected into a spiralof feeling nothing is good enough. It can makepeople dread going to the clinic as it encourages you to feel guilty if glucose (bloodsugar) levels are not “good enough”. Don’tdespair! There are ways to turn down the burnand get life back on track.

Living with diabetes requires a lot of effort onthe part of the young person who has the condition (whether type 1 or type 2). Theyneed to think about what they eat, take the“right” amount of insulin and manage exercise.This can be very tiring as it takes a lot ofeffort. Young people who take on most of the responsibility for managing diabetes maynotice they miss clinic appointments, forget totake their insulin, or stop bothering to payattention to what they are eating, or what theirblood sugar levels are. This can lead to tension and arguments at home if parents getworried and start reminding their child what

needs to be done, which, in turn, can oftenhave the effect of increasing any feelings offrustration. Young people with diabetes oftentell me: “On the one hand I want to, and on theother hand I don’t want to,” or “I know I should,but I just can’t be bothered,” when describingthe self-management of their diabetes. Theycan get more and more fed up and unhappywith the situation, with a common complaintbeing: “The harder I try the worse it gets.”Burnout can have the effect of making youngpeople suffering from it appear to be difficult, non-compliant or “bad”.

Coping with diabetes as a familyParents, siblings and families often get forgotten when a family member has diabetes.They have to live with diabetes too. Parents ofyounger children usually need to take on mostof the management - even when their child isat school. Parents of teenagers have to balance encouraging independence with worryabout safety and “letting go”. Burnout makesparents and young people with diabetes feelthat the condition has taken over. It can feellike there is no way to deal with the endlessattention the condition demands.

Burnout in parents has the opposite effect toyoung people. Rather than forgetting to do thethings that need doing, parents cannot stopthinking about them. Constant worrying aboutgetting blood sugar readings “right,” constanttesting 24 hours a day (especially in youngerchildren) and constantly reminding and checking levels. For most parents this is a“normal” state of affairs. But when theybecome completely exhausted and frustratedand distressed about “never getting it right”then the flames of burnout have been ignited.

Continued on page 6

Deborah Christie,Professor ofPaediatric andAdolescentPsychology atUniversity College LondonHospitals, on how to avoid“burnout” from diabetes foryoung people with the conditionand their families.

Tips for young people with diabetes and their families

Page 2: How to banish INSIDE: diabetes burnout · Tips to help teenagers and theirfamilies avoid diabetes burnout Continued from page 1 The following tips are designed to help ease the management

6 DIABETES WELLNESS NEWS February 2017

Tips to help teenagers and their families avoid diabetes burnoutContinued from page 1

The following tips are designed to helpease the management of diabetes for thewhole family:

1. Noticing burnout is giving you ahard time is the best place to start You might feel more stressed than usual,you might feel anxious or your moodmight be a bit lower than usual. Youmight notice that you are feeling angryabout things or getting into arguments.You might have lost interest in things thatyou used to enjoy doing. Is this OK?If the answer to this question is no, thenyou’ve taken the first step towards getting your life back on track.

2. Be kind to yourself and focuson the solutions, rather than the problemsNo one can be perfect all the time so ifyou have a day when you don’t geteverything exactly right and remind yourself that you can start again tomorrow. Write down what has gonewell - even if it is nothing to do with diabetes - even if it was only for a coupleof minutes. Diabetes is just one smallpart of your life and you are not your diabetes. What have you managed todo? How come? What made this onesmall positive step possible? Was itsomething you did, or said, or somethingsomeone else did or said? Keep track ofthese sparkling moments and forgiveyourself for the things that do not go sowell. You are only human!

3. Ask for helpDon’t suffer in silence. Get some support. Family, friends (and co-workers)can only help if you let them know whatyou need them to do. Find someone youtrust to let you take a few hours off. Getsomeone to share the jobs like checkingblood sugar readings at night-time. Getyour diabetes team to put you in touchwith another parent so you can swap anight of babysitting with each other.Burnout loves making people feel likethey are isolated - so don’t let it win!

4. Negotiate a “diabetes holiday” Teenagers that are exhausted trying toremember to take insulin and count carbohydrates every day can take ashort holiday and let an adult take careof things in the evenings for a few daysor weeks. Work out what is helpful, suchas counting carbohydrates together at ameal, or calculating the amount of insulinto take. Work out what isn’t helpful, suchas being asked constantly if a particularfood is the “right” food to be eating, orwhether or not you have done your blood

glucose readings. Swap your pump forinjections done by someone else for ashort period of time (you must talk toyour diabetes team if you are going to dothis one). Be creative, but give yourselfpermission to “take a break” from theconstant need to pay attention, which isthe nature of diabetes self-management.

Parents can take a holiday too. Ask yourpartner or family member to take overfrom you for a few days. I know lots ofparents often feel they are the only onemanaging things at home and have verylittle support. So ask another parent fromyour nearest diabetes clinic for help - orperhaps organise a sleep over so youcan have a night off, go out for dinner, goto the pictures, go out for a coffee, havea massage or a manicure. It doesn’thave to be much. Give yourself permission not to be “on the job” for aslittle as an hour. You can always repaythe favour when they are feeling “singed”by burnout themselves.

5. Keep things in balance Who are you keeping diabetes undercontrol for? Is it your clinical team or is itfor you? Work out the pros and cons foryou of not letting burnout win. You maywant to have good blood glucose controlto reduce the risks of diabetes complications, or to stop your parents orpartner or doctors nagging you. But tryand remind yourself what matters to youand how to make the benefits of not letting burnout win relevant to your ownhopes and dreams, hobbies and interests.

6. Use your diabetes teamDon’t suffer in silence. You are not theonly person living with diabetes who isfeeling like this. Your diabetes team willhelp you think of practical ways to manage the effects of burnout. And ifthey don’t, then think about changingteams! Ask to speak to a psychologist ifthe team has one. Look at what supportgroups are available in your area. Ask

your diabetes team to help you start up agroup if there isn’t one available whereyou live.

7. Use the power of your mindMindfulness can help understand,address and overcome the mental andemotional impact of having diabetes,including the emotional and psychological conditions that give rise todiabetes burnout. If your healthcare teamcannot offer a course then have a lookon the internet for what might be available in your area.

8. Connect with othersSocial media can be a force for goodand bad - so ask others what websitesthey find helpful. Check out blogs andwebsites for suggestions and advice. Do the stuff that works for you andignore the stuff that doesn’t.

More informationTry the free app Stop, Breathe, Think at: http://www.stopbreathethink.org/

Teenagers may also enjoy reading TheMindful Teen by Dzung Vo

Beyond Type 1 - “highlighting the brilliance” of people with type 1 diabetes:www.facebook.com/beyondtype1

Parents might find the Children withdiabetes website helpful at:https://www.facebook.com/groups/UKCWD/

Talking online and meeting other youngpeople who are also battling burnout aswell as those who have successfullyovercome it can help motivate you. Askyour diabetes team to organise a Tree ofLife workshop (http://bit.ly/2j9B5c5), ora “social” where you can meet other people so you don’t feel like you are theonly one struggling.

The original version of this article waspublished on the Positive Psychology

blog (positivepsychology.me) and is reproduced with kind permission of the

author.

Parents can help children with diabetesmanage the condition to stay well

About the authorDeborah Christie is a Professor ofPaediatric and Adolescent Psychology.She has worked with children and adolescents for over 25 years at GreatOrmond Street Hospital for Sick Childrenand University College London Hospitals.Deborah is passionate about workingwith children, adolescents and their families to help people find new preferredpositive stories about their future lives.She is an inspirational motivationalspeaker and loves working with medicalteams to help them engage positivelywith young people about diabetes.