THRIVING WITH DIABETES

What - me worry?

Take a sneak peek behind the highly anticipated book to be published by the American Diabetes Association this fall - Your First Year with Diabetes: What to Do Month by Month. This book offers straight-forward, easy-to-read advice to create a care plan that won't take over your life.

Author Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE, brings her expertise and insights learned from the thousands of patients she has met to this comprehensive guide and provides readers with easy-to-follow, monthly goals.

In addition to the Diabetes ABCs, Your First Year with Diabetes addresses other, less-discussed topics such as pain management, drug and alcohol use, and sex and diabetes.

Below is an excerpt from the book. Whether you have had diabetes for 14 days or 14 years, stress is something with which we can all relate!

Day 14 Stress Stop: To Stress or not to stress

You've been dealing with the stress of diabetes. We know that stress can have a negative impact on life, and in particular, diabetes. What are other sources of stress in your life and how do you respond? Is there anything you can do to resolve them?

Focus on things you can change, such as food and exercise choices, how you react to others, how you spend your day, how you communicate your needs to others, how many items you put on your to-do list, and how much time you spend on any given task. Focusing on things you can't change will only add to your stress level. You can't change other people, your upbringing, the color of the stop light, your age, the number of hours in a day, a long wait for scheduled appointment, an accident, or a death in the family.

Positive ways I can cope with my diabetes and manage overall stress:

• Tell my family and friends about ways in which they can help me.
• Be patient with myself.
• Shift my perspective.
• Take a different route to work or home.
• Go for a 10-minute walk.
• Avoid negative people.
• Read for pleasure.
• Take things in stride.
• Celebrate life.
• Find humor every day.
• Pick my battles.
• Keep writing in my journal.
• Do something different.
• Look forward rather than backward.
• Know my limits.
• Get enough rest and sleep regularly.
• Daydream.

For more information or assistance, contact the American Diabetes Association National Call Center at 1-800-DIABETES.