Self-Esteem: A Booster Dose for Diabetes Self-Care

Self-Esteem: A Booster Dose for Diabetes Self-Care

By Ann Pryam Bagongon

Self-esteem is a complete realization and expression of your self-worth. It's how you view yourself and it reflects your own attitude towards others. It can be your "self-image" beliefs, emotional state, and "self-worth" or "self-concept" that mirrors positivism or negativism. The world echos your self-respect. This is vitally important in the aspect of self-care because of the following:

Your compliance to treatment depends on your self-worth

It helps you manage your emotional state especially when you are just newly diagnosed

You will seek solid educational foundation regarding Diabetes for the long-term management

You will adhere to the dos' and don'ts' to prevent the dreadful consequences of diabetes

You will make time for the people who matters to you like your family or significant others

You will become skillful in taking good care of yourself because you find happiness on this effort and you fell in love with life

You look forward to thrive more and diabetes is not a hindrance to your growth.

It helps you understand yourself, your disease and your environment

Why Self-esteem is important in diabetes self-management?
Diabetes Mellitus is a life-long disease wherein its complications are merely preventable. In the previous discussion, the integral goal of diabetes management is as much as possible to normalize the glucose along with heartfelt obedience to diet, exercise and anti diabetic drugs. This is to say that, once you have diabetes, it will be a lifetime requirement to take a special care of yourself as part of the diabetic population and it's not bad thing, because it will keep you conscious all the time to supervise your own self. It's like you just become a CEO or Chief Executive Officer of your own life. Do you know the job of a CEO? He look forward to the survival of his company 10 or more years from now. So, it's what you are just about to do with your own life and time. You keep learning the ways of healthy living and even shake off the others because of your adherence to your regimen. Hence, others will turn their head on you for the right and wrong reason but it doesn't matter because happiness is already inside you and not in their hands.

Self-image is has an immense effect on you. Self-image can be positive or negative and it molds your self-worth. A negative self-image happens when you fuel your life with ideas according to the opinions of others. Actually, this is inevitable, because people were raised by parents, and were brought into an environment that nobody can choose to be. Some were born poor in a slum area and some were born rich but overall, the impact that were brought into the world by each person depends on how they react to different stimulus whether it be positive or negative reaction towards their inner self. Lets take an example of a negative self-image from a freshly diagnosed man with diabetes type 2. Of course, he will be amazed and deny it at the moment but eventually it will just sink in. His negative self-image will then put him to shame. That would be for the following reasons: 1. He is thinking that his family might be worry about him because he has diabetes and diabetes is a sign of weakness/illness/debilitating disease; 2. His friends will undermine him more because he is sick; 3. He cannot give up his reckless lifestyle in terms of food choices and alcohol; 4. People might consider him helpless; or 5. He prioritize his family and disregards himself and so he acted as if nothing happens (prolonged denial). In an ample span of time when diabetes will be left unattended it will get worse. Diabetes will always let your body know that it exist at any given time. Remember that this is chronic and even prediabetes  stage can lead to type 2 diabetes when ignored. Once the distressing complication appears it might be too late to apologize to your body or either turn back the hands of time. Bear in mind that, a disease is will never hamper your life routines and things to do, only your self-imposed limitation and unconditioned mindset.

Talking about the positive self-image of a recently diagnosed man with type 2 diabetes, denial is expected in a few minutes, hours and for a few days but in those times, he is trying to get to know his disease. After researching about it and admitting it to himself, he will then talk to his significant others. After then, he asks for instructions on how to take good care of himself and what are the things that needs to be done in order to keep himself on the track of life, like he can function well in work and decided to stay healthy as much as possible. He knows the contributing factors that would lead to an increase of his blood sugar level and follows the check up schedules with his physician. He spares time for a moderate walking exercise with his wife, or girlfriend and manages his diet although he cheats at times but not excessively.

Positive Self-esteem or self-worth will help you survive whatever it is along the way that will challenge you whether it be a disease or other problems. Living life with diabetes is a turning point wherein it calls you to change your old ways to improve your life more. If you do not do anything about it then it will not bother disturbing you anytime, and anywhere. Loving yourself positively means you don't have any worry about other's flawed opinions because what really matters is you take action to control your life in spite of your disease. In fact, you can still afford to enjoy. Self-confidence is not at stake because you are well assured of your own value in this earth. Regardless of your situation, loving, living and believing in yourself and others is your ultimate hobbies.

How to enhance your self-esteem?
Nothing is more important in your everyday journey than how you feel about yourself. How you deal with your relationships starts in your inner self. Life gets simple, happier and stable when you have high self-esteem. Validation from others is not your thing anymore because you have a strong sense of self-reliance. Now, here are tips on how to increase your self-esteem.

Stop your inner sabotage or just put an end/period about criticizing yourself. This method is not helpful for you. Instead, approach yourself through positive self-talk with a solution focus conversation. It's like "No, I should stop eating more carbohydrates because for sure my sugar will shoot up later", then make a constructive planning like "I can try to eat a little of vegetable salad then I'll eat more of it if it tastes good". "No, no, no, I am only allowed for 1 slice of cake"
Remind yourself about what you really love to do and recap its importance and benefits. Like your good health, good relationship and wealth goals. As you are aspiring to be a great inspiration to others, your attention will be refocus on your goals instead of breaking them bit by bit.
Congratulate yourself when you did a good job for today. Reward yourself.
Be grateful everyday.
Learn to forgive and move on.
Accept that there are situations wherein it's better to be happy than to be right. Remember, you can never change people. Only people can change themselves.
Perfection is a myth. Practice is the mother of skills. Necessity is brings about inventions/creativity. Love what you do with all your heart.
Failure is a state of mind. You will only become a failure when you quit. Adversity gives you seeds of lessons that will help you hone your talent and growth. Those seeds could be ideas,new plans or revision of approach towards your best interest of challenge.
Be kind. "We rise by lifting others".
Be your own best-friend. Instead of criticizing yourself, ask yourself, "how to be a good friend to me?" Be supportive to yourself.
Stop comparing yourself to others because it's a big insult. You can appreciate the greatness of others but please be reminded that you can do great things too in your own ways.
Spare some time to learn something new. Expand your comfort zone and make it larger than you can ever imagine.
Guard you mind. Be with the people who will help you grow and support you with your chosen field.
Be a master of your own self and know exactly what you want to achieve. This is also an opportunity for you to lead others.
Remind yourself all the time about what you want by feeding your mind with books, and people who will keep you on the track.

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Article Source: Self-Esteem: A Booster Dose for Diabetes Self-Care