Work-Life Balance in Diabetes Management

Individuals living with diabetes may have to plan well in order to balance social, family, and work. This is because, individuals who do not know how to manage life-work balance tend to risk developing illnesses, dysfunctional relationships, and burnout.

One study of more than 5,000 adults with diabetes highlighted the importance of family, friends, and colleagues in improving well-being and self-management.

Which support do you need?

The study noted that if family members share the responsibility of diabetes management, they can provide support in taking patients to appointments or helping inject insulin, provide social and emotional support while help patients cope with the disease.

Diabetes management can be complex for patients. This is because they would have to attend to many doctor visits each year, take many types of medication to control their disease, participate in self-care such as home glucose monitoring, healthy eating, and exercise.

What are burnouts?

Burnouts are states of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Nonetheless, it is possible to juggle all activities successfully without developing burnout. Burnout may happen as we are often too overwhelmed by daily tasks and roles.

What warning signs should you observe?

Before we delve into ways on how to juggle all activities successfully without burnout, there are various situations that would need to be taken into consideration that warn us about a possible burnout.

While one can feel stressed, the following warning signs may signify a poor work balance. According to a University of Nevada, Reno study, they include;

• insufficient sleep,
• not eating enough or overeating,
• experiencing anxiety or depression,
• falling behind on deadlines,
• disagreements with family members,
• falling sick, and;
• refusing to take breaks at work.

How do you avoid getting overwhelmed?

In order to avoid being overwhelmed with daily tasks;

• set attainable goals each day. Thus, it would be important to write down a list of priorities and check each task throughout the workday.
• making time for oneself matters as it improves mental health and overall satisfaction. Thus, it is critical to prioritize “me time” such as going to the spa or exercising, walking, reading a book, playing with kids, etc.
• prepare for the worst-case scenario. Thus, keeping an emergency kit with medication and having your doctor’s contacts is important in case of spikes in blood glucose.
• let your workmates know about your health condition. For instance, you can wear a medical alert bracelet indicating that you have diabetes. This keeps others aware of your condition.
• pay attention to your bodily changes. You can check your blood glucose levels whenever you feel tired or hungry. In case of any change, it is important to inform those around you and your doctor.
• take breaks in the workplace to help you clear the mind and improve the ability to handle tasks and make better decisions at the workplace.
• ask your employer for flexibility and leave days. Last but not least, nothing can ever replace your family. Thus, always make time for family and friends. That is because; they can easily help you when you need their help or emotional or psychological support.