Type 1 Diabetes and the Illusion of Control

Type 1 Diabetes is an illness centered around control, from the minute you are diagnosed, your healthcare appointments are designed to help you “control” your bloods. What is often not talked about enough, and leaves people feeling so frustrated, is the absolute lack of control we have over so many factors which impact your bloods on an extraordinary level.

impact on your bloods.

You cannot control the weather, the way your hormones fluctuate throughout your cycle, if you get sick, if plans change, if you planned a hike and it started raining, if you get a last minute deadline that peaks your stress - all of these factors will change your bodies response to insulin and the way you need to “control” things.

Sometimes these things crop up, so unexpectedly, that your ability to be proactive is nil and you have to respond to the situation and your circumstances in the best way that you can.

emotions and diabetes.

All of this to say, you can only really have true “control” over your diabetes when you can control your emotions and your mindset, because no matter how hard you try or what lengths you go to, there will be times in which you do not have control over the situation or the way your bloods are behaving.

In those moments, you are left with two choices: let it wear you down to the point it dictates your response and actions, or control your response, accept the situation for what it is and use logic to steer yourself back on track.

This is exactly the kind of mindset and decision-making skill we help members build inside Elevate, where Type 1 diabetes management is taught through real-life context, confidence and practical strategy.

Now I understand, this theory sounds good on paper, of course feelings and emotions can be heightened and the frustration can seep in, but you must learn to compartmentalise between how you feel and how you respond.

The minute you start letting emotions dictate your actions is the minute you skip to the front of the queue for a rollercoaster you never asked to be on. Type 1 diabetes, in no way, cares about your feelings, it is a numbers game, a data driven illness that requires you to act based on logic and stats, not emotion and frustration.

A high can just as easily be a timing issue as a dose issue, in the exact same way that a low can be.

This is especially important around meals, where digestion speed, bolus timing and insulin action can all influence whether a number is truly a dose problem or simply a timing problem.

Not all hypos are equal, 15gr of carbs is not always suitable.

Stress might be the reason you spiked, not a miscalculation.

Maybe your hayfever tablet is causing resistance, or your period is on its way and you need to factor that into your response and decisions to a situation.

Hormonal changes can have a major impact on insulin resistance, glucose patterns and emotional load, which is why we explore this further in our women’s health and hormones guide.

Because simply rage bolusing every time you see a high number, is going to lead to very volatile bloods.

diabetic advice.

One of my favourite pieces of advice we give to clients, is to imagine that your current situation is that of your diabetic besties, you would be a lot less inclined to tell them to just shove a load more insulin in than you would yourself, because you use logic to guide their next best step. So in the instance of feeling frustrated, take a minute to breathe and then weigh up your situation, figure out what and why caused you to be in this position and then work backwards to logically decipher what needs to be done to get you from A to B, optimally and safely.

diabetes and good rest.

It is so important to make sure you are setting yourself up for success when it comes to making sound and informed decisions. Sleep plays a huge role in your cognitive skills, regulating hormones, energy and focus. It is so easy to become overwhelmed when it comes to type 1 diabetes, feeling burnt out with all of the hundreds of extra decisions we need to make, so it is important to really lock in on the more holistic steps we can take to make more logical decisions.

Sleep and good sleep hygiene

Fresh air and movement

Hydration

Your environment, if you are already in a high stress environment, allow yourself to step aside and take a moment to consider your situation

Mindfulness and breathwork, breathe, think about how your decision is going to affect you in 10 minutes, 1 hour and 1 day, one wrong rage bolus can impact you way beyond the 3 hour window of its action time.

proactive diabetes decision making.

Some great practical tools that can help you also lean into a more proactive rather than reactive approach to diabetes decision making.

Be an annoying toddler, ask why and keep asking why until you get to the route cause of your problem, this will always help establish a better what.

Internally debate both sides, think about the reasoning for doing what you want to do, Vs what you know you need to do, it helps to talk you off the rage bolus cliff when you can actually hear yourself trying to rationalise something that is not rational.

Something that can actually help you lean more into a logical way of thinking naturally is spending time doing grid-based puzzles that are solved through deductive reasoning.

For more practical education around Type 1 diabetes decision-making, insulin sensitivity, exercise, food timing and mindset, explore our full Type 1 diabetes resources hub.

The very core of your management comes down to your ability to A, not feel ridiculously frustrated every single time something goes wrong, you live 24/7 with an illness where perfection simply does not exist and B. have the capacity, irrespective of how you feel, to respond to your situation using logic and data, if you know this is something you struggle with, start by focusing on the constructive holistic tools you can use, introducing the activities discussed and before reacting to a situation, think about how you would advise me to act, or your diabetic friend, I can assure you - it would not be to rage bolus an extra 3 units when you already have 3 on board (haha).

better future as a type 1 diabetic.

We have all of course been there and there will be times when you do respond out of panic and stress, but we are trying to limit that as much as possible to improve your day-to-day quality of life, minimise your risk of complications and support a better future with Type 1 diabetes.

Volatility within your blood sugars is a leading contributor to many diabetic complications, and irrational or reactive decision-making is often a leading cause of that volatility.

Inside Elevate, we help members build calmer, more informed and more logical approaches to Type 1 diabetes management using education, pattern analysis and real-world strategy.