If I have a mantra it's, "You can have a great life, not despite, but because of diabetes." It's true in my own life and I've interviewed more than a hundred people who live with diabetes and a great majority agree. The truth is, until there is a cure, you have a choice - how will you live with diabetes and what attitude will you adopt?
In my book, choosing to feel a victim is a weakened position. Diabetes will own you. But choosing to find some good in it and using diabetes to become healthier, fitter, be more compassionate and create a vibrant, meaningful and purposeful life is a powerful position.
With that, I reject the idea that all we can do is "cope" with diabetes; the oft used lexicon for the emotional aspect of living with a chronic condition. We can do much more than cope, we can flourish. That knowledge, and how, is what I am bringing to the psycho-social side of diabetes. And you can be sure, a healthier, more positive attitude, also benefits better management and clinical outcomes.
Below are several articles I've written about the art of flourishing with diabetes.
The Antidote to Living With Diabetes, the Huffington Post, November 22, 2013
From Coping to Flourishing: How a Better Mindset Can Transform Health, Dario, April 7, 2014
A Flourishing Approach to Mental Health in Patients With Diabetes, On the Cutting Edge, Diabetes Care and Education, Summer 2013, Volume 34, Number 4
Flourishing With Diabetes, Sanofi The DX, April 17, 2014
Chronic Illness' Opportunity for Patients and Providers, the Huffington Post, February 22, 2014