3 Reasons Why Diabetes Makes You Awesome

When it rains, it pours

Annoying hypos, an empty insulin pump at the worst time, ordered diet but received regular, your infusion set gets torn out, cat stole your lancing device. I could go on forever.

There are a million different reasons that things seem to go wrong! It's no different with us at the mySugr monster pack.

Diabetes doesn't always run smooth. And when this stuff happens, I sometimes feel like the kid on the playground who can't play and just keeps getting picked on for being different.

Stand tall, Monster Tamer!

But maybe these moments, when we are feeling frustrated and beaten down, are exactly the right time to stand up tall, look your diabetes monster right in the eye, and consider diabetes from a different perspective. Because even though it can be a troublesome companion, diabetes has brought at least a few positive side-effects along for the ride.

• Responsibility - diabetes demands a lot of responsibility and we learn to manage more than our share of things in quick order. If you can do it with your own health and a busy diabetes monster, then you can master a tough job or assignment with no sweat!
• Perseverance - you know your diabetes monster isn't going anywhere anytime soon. This can be stressful, and not necessarily a happy thought, but it’s, unfortunately, the truth we're stuck with. At least for now. So you've learned that maintaining your sanity requires a large dose of patience and perseverance. And you’ve learned that you need to find a way to keep pressing on, even when things aren’t going your way. Do you have any idea how valuable these qualities are in everyday life?
• Independence - No matter your age, if you've spent more than a few days living with diabetes you’ve learned how to be independent, how to problem solve, how to cope with the unexpected, and how to make it through the day in one piece. In addition to this, you're also managing everything else (doctor appointments, supplies, and prescriptions). Oh, and don’t forget that this is in addition to all of the non-diabetes stuff you're doing in life!

You are stronger than you feel!

Diabetes is no reason to sit on the bench and mope, even if your diabetes monster is being a jerk right now. What’s that saying? If life gives you lemons, make lemonade? Well, we say if life gives you a diabetes monster, then get up and play with it!