Motivation?

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Permalink Reply by Xanthasun on January 5, 2010 at 8:19am

Small steps as others said is the best way to get on top of things...

When I was in college, I didn't test often...so trying to go from rarely to multiple times a day is very hard..so my first goal was just to test first thing in the morning... then slowly adding more in ...like before meals.. and then after meals (the pairs idea that Terry mentioned)...

One of the other things that motivated me... was hearing from people here at TuD on how they mentally handle being high...which is not to equate as a reflection of yourself, but deal with it as a person... because even if you've pigged out or done something "bad"....it's not like you ever asked to have diabetes in the first place...so while highs are not good at least by testing you know they're there and they are something you can deal with by correcting with insulin...

After that....I think the more effort you put in the better you start to feel (either less tired etc. from being high often and/or feeling more in control from not having constant dramatic swings) which can then be your motivation for even better care of yourself.. so you want to start tesitng for other events (before after exercise, before and after driving, while drinking etc.)...

While long term goals are good...they don't provide immediate and constant motivation... at some point you just have to decide that you want to take care of yourself because you're worth it... and then start doing it one step at a time :)

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Permalink Reply by Danny on January 5, 2010 at 8:26am

Your question pops up a lot on Diabetic message boards (Motivate me please etc). My answer is always the same...

My feet motivate me.

You see, 5,10, 20, 30 years from now I really want my feet. Thus, I try and take care of my Diabetes (simple, eh?).

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Permalink Reply by 1HappyDiabetic on January 5, 2010 at 2:41pm

MY FEET. Love it!

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Permalink Reply by Cara Bauer on January 5, 2010 at 3:24pm

I want to keep my feet so I can keep kicking my kids and hubby in the butt!

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Permalink Reply by Domo! on January 5, 2010 at 5:51pm

oooo i want my eyeballs for sure!

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Permalink Reply by Osob on January 5, 2010 at 9:02am

Hey Marina,
My moitivation came towards the end of last year when my doctor told me that I might have damage to my eyes,I thought oh my God no way the first think that came to my mind was driving as I just passed will I ever be able to drive.The doctor made me an appointment to get my eyes tested but didnt want to go as I had such rubbish treatment the last time I went.
I went home feeling some what lost I was here but my mind and soul where somewhere else just thinking.
I soon made an appointment to get my eyes checked out at my local as I wanted to know what sort of damage went the next day and got the all clear but my heart was still not at rest went to my hospital eye test and waited,waited,test after test it seemed like I was waiting for ever just wanted answers.
So then my answer came after a very long wait all clear and on top of that my results where even better then the year before. :)

My motivation fear to be honest fear of complications and you are still young you dont want anymore trouble for me diabetes is more then enough thank you very much.So test,test and test that what I am doing the nurses at the hospital all know who I am now seeing as I am on the phone every week or down there to talk to them.lol

Good luck and if you need a good old speech on encouragement or motivation I am just a click away.lol

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Permalink Reply by John Brush on January 5, 2010 at 12:56pm

Hi Marina (what a beautiful name!)

I am a T2, and so my issues are not the same as yours, but I want to point out that you look like an attractive young girl, with so much to live for, and the idea that there is a great guy out there looking for you, is important to remember, because when you find each other, you want to be in control and condition so you can enjoy all that life with him will offer you. Don't deprive him of the special person that Marina is. He deserves the best you have to give, even if you don't know him yet.

Motivation is a problem for a lot of people, and its not just over diabetes. Again, my condition is not as complex as yours, and I don't need motivation to cope with the diabetes. Its all the other things in life that I am failing miserably at, like finding work, finding someone to love who loves me, and deciding what to do with what remains of my life. I would venture a guess that you are just a normal 16 year old, and that in itself means you really don't want to have to think, you just want to have fun. You are entitled, btw, :-) but remember its part of the maturation process to find it difficult to overcome obstacles.

Pigging out when you know is wrong, is just the self destructive side of yourself, rebelling against what has happened to you. That will not go away until you replace the desire, with something constructive. If you didn't have diabetes, you would be unmotivated in other areas. Its not a shot at you, its normal and natural.

Baby steps, and small changes are your best bet. Doing anything that drastically alters your lifestyle will likely cause you to fail. You say that your numbers are okay when you manage them, so your problem is the "pig out" urge, which is simply your way of rebelling. Attack that urge, and break it into manageable events, and then reduce it from there. I don't know what you pig out on :-) but say its brownies, for the sake of making the point. If you eat four brownies, just eat three instead. Instantly, you reduced your intake by 25% which is an improvement. Over time, you will be able to reduce by another brownie, and now you have cut your bad intake in half. That's a pretty big step, and will make a difference both in your control, and in your state of mind. It might take a while, but that will be a big accomplishment, and your numbers will reflect that change for the better. Winning is a great motivator, so set yourself up, so you can win.

There is no way you are going to just quit over indulging instantly. That is asking an awful lot of anyone. It takes time to effect change. Baby steps.

I would very much like to teach you all that I have learned in my lifetime. I have made every possible mis-step, and screwed up so many things, its remarkable I have gotten this far with my brains anywhere near intact. The world is out there waiting for Marina to take it by the horns and subdue it, yet my recollection of being your age is that such a thing doesn't matter to you yet. Best advice I can give you is, it does matter, and you don't have to turn your life around on a dime, but start turning it a little bit. When they started flying to the moon, they had a long journey, and so course corrections we small, but over the length of the trip, a small change in direction made a huge difference their course over time. Same with you life, and your habits. Small changes may seem irrelevant right now, but given the length of your journey, those small course changes will result in big changes over time. You don't need to correct your course 100%, right this very moment.

When you start to save money, its hard because there is only a few dollars in the jar, but the more dollars you put in there, the more you begin to see the benefit of the savings. Make tiny changes right now, and note them, and soon you will see benefit to changes, and be wanting to make bigger changes over time.

I have foot problems that are not related to diabetes, or so I am told, and I cannot walk very much without a lot of pain and suffering. Hiking the backcountry of the Rockies is what has kept me going the last few decades. Now I cannot do that, and although I cannot blame the diabetes, I am sick to think that it is the result of something that I could have avoided, if I had taken the time to better care for myself.

Please don't let the last thirty or forty years of your life be pain and suffering, filled with "if only" and "What if" all the while second guessing yourself over choices you made when you were young.

If you want to talk, lets chat private. If you want to vent, or rant and rave, I am one who will listen and will not judge you. I am someone who would love a second chance at being a teenager, because now I see how important it is to have fun, be a teen, but I also now know how important it is to keep an eye on the future.

Trust me when I say that when I was your age, I looked at calendars, and saw the year 2010, and never, ever though I would live to be that old (54) so I screwed up, and didn't make the right choices. None of those choices would have interfered with the enjoyment of my youth, but they would have gone a long way towards making my present condition more enjoyable, and fruitful.

Life is a long journey, and you can't pack for it like you are just taking a three day weekend camping trip. It takes more than that.

Motivation is something every person deals with on a daily basis. Remember its probably not just the diabetes causing it. Its simply where you are in your life, so work on it, from that perspective, rather than focusing on this damnable disease.

Nuff said, hope I didn't offend, but be sure and post, and vent and rant, and as I said, if you want to keep it private and anonymous, I am most happy to listen and try to help you.

The human spirit is a remarkable thing, and can drive us through some of the most gosh awful things that we are sure we could never survive, yet we somehow manage. You can do this. Just let others help when they can. You are not alone.

John

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Permalink Reply by Cara Bauer on January 5, 2010 at 1:27pm

Sounds like you're having some denial and acceptance issues. I had them for quite a long time after I was diagnosed in 1996. I went through therapy/counseling for 3 years to get to a point where I wasn't angry all the time.

I'd suggest small steps. Find a support group near where you live. Make sure you get to your endo 3x a year, at least. Test prior to every meal to start. Test before you go to bed. Try to test after breakfast and dinner. Set small goals every few weeks. For example, try to test before every meal by Valentines. When you're accomplished this, give yourself a small reward. Manicure maybe? Keeping goals small makes them more achievable.

You can't be motivated every day, its unrealistic. But you need to take care of yourself because this is for the long haul, until further notice, and no one else will do this for you.

You are not alone. We all struggle with this disease and unless you let it control you, you need to put diabetes in its place in your life where you want it!

Good luck

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Permalink Reply by Keith A. Johnson on January 5, 2010 at 3:33pm

Don't know if this will help so here goes. My motivation is simple, being a freak of nature dx'ed at age 52 and male. What motivated me is already starting to get the old people stuff ie: glass to read, things hurt (joints) etc.. ,but what really got me staying on top of type 1 diabetes is being dx'ed in ICU. This was the first time in my life to stay in a hospital, over 50 years no problems, then bang. Knowing that I am on borrowed time, makes me use it wisely, not to be down just being real. My thought is if it wasn't for modern medicine and Dr. Banting I wouldn't be here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Period!!!!!! I also have a wonderful daughter how is making me a GrandPa and I want to see my granddaughter graduate from High School and Collage and that means I have to live to about another 25 years. (almost 80) AND I WILL!!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Marina! on January 5, 2010 at 5:19pm

thank you so much everybody. everybody's replys has really helped me to try to do better, because i know my health is really important

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on January 5, 2010 at 5:21pm

You can do it! We're all pulling for you & are here if you need us.

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Permalink Reply by Domo! on January 5, 2010 at 5:49pm

self motivation is very hard, i should know i'm in the same boat as you. But i saw my doc today and he's not to happy with me, so i definelty don't want to waste his time because i know at least part of me cares about getting better(other part is pigging out on food and sleepping in). I think somebody mentioned opportunity? I'm reading diabetes burnout right now, and he mentions small attainable goals. I think i'm going to work on that. Of course if moving yourself doesn't work i guess forcing yourself sometimes can with the proper attitude.

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