In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast , I talk all about imposter syndrome with T1D. I discuss where imposter syndrome comes from, how it impacts your mental health with T1D, and also how sometimes it can help you. After listening to this episode, you'll see that imposter syndrome is more common than you think and that it doesn't have to stop you from managing your diabetes. At the end of this episode, I give you five things you can do to deal with imposter syndrome when it rears ...
Aug 11, 2022•23 min
In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast , I talk about why approaching T1D with a beginner's mind can do wonders for your mental health. After listening to this episode, you'll see how being curious, open, and eager to learn about your diabetes, without letting your biases and preconceptions can help you see your T1D in a whole new light. At the end of this episode, I give you some practical tips for how you can start having a beginner's mind in your life with T1D starting today. Di...
Aug 04, 2022•23 min
In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I dive into how you can develop trust with your diabetes technology. I discuss why learning to trust your insulin pump, CGM, and automated insulin delivery device can be challenging (especially if they have given you a reason not to trust them in the past), and why building trust can help both your diabetes management and your mental health. Then I give you three tips on how to start building trust with whatever T1D technology you use. Diabet...
Jul 28, 2022•21 min
I love getting questions from my listener's and recently, they have been coming in hot! This episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast is dedicated to answering your questions. In this episode of my podcast, I answer questions about: ✔️ How you'll know when you're emotionally healthy with T1D ✔️ How to deal with feeling like a failure with T1D ✔️ Why trying so hard to manage T1D might not be the best approach Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handle It can now be purchased on Amazon or on my website...
Jul 21, 2022•19 min
The story is the same... If you were diagnosed with T1D as an adult, you go to the doctor (or the emergency room), they test your glucose and tell you that you have diabetes. Then they hand you a bag with insulin, a couple of generic brochures about diabetes and send you on your way. You know you have T1D, however you have NO IDEA how to manage your condition. Sound familiar? My guest on this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast is Stephanie. She was diagnosed with T1D 7 years ago at the...
Jul 14, 2022•26 min
Fear of low blood sugar can make life with type 1 diabetes (T1D) stressful. People with a fear of lows not only have trouble keeping their blood sugar in range but also living their lives. Often, they avoid activities they think may send their blood sugar low, especially physical activity. People often ask me how I treat folks who have a fear of low blood sugar. I want to walk you through my process step-by-step. In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I walk you step-by-step throu...
Jul 07, 2022•25 min
It’s been about 2 months since my book, Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handle It, was released! Since then, I have been receiving fantastic feedback, both positive and negative, that I want to dig a little deeper into today. In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I share an overview of my style of work around T1D and mental health and answer questions that critics brought forward in their feedback. My book, Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handle It, can now be purchased on Amazon or from m...
Jun 30, 2022•23 min
When you live with diabetes or care for someone with diabetes, you carry the weight of constantly being aware of your blood sugar and that can become incredibly exhausting! Sometimes, you may feel confident and in control, and other times, you may feel defeated. If you are experiencing difficult emotions such as burnout or frustrations around your diabetes, know that this is completely normal , but can be managed to protect your mental health and wellbeing. I know you may want to throw your CGM ...
Jun 23, 2022•22 min
What do you tell yourself when you are facing challenges in your life with diabetes? How you feel about yourself and your diabetes matters, but we all know how difficult diabetes can be and when we are dealing with challenges, sometimes we make things worse through the negative stories and thoughts we create in our minds about our diabetes. In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I discuss why you might be making your diabetes challenges worse through the stories you tell yourself ...
Jun 16, 2022•24 min
How many times have you checked your blood sugar and it’s out of range, so you throw logic out the window and quickly react instead of pausing to think about what your next move should be? Maybe you panic and start eating the entire kitchen due to a low blood sugar, or you take more insulin than needed because you are terrified of the issues that can happen when your blood sugar is at a higher level for a long period of time. No matter the situation, diabetes management can be incredibly challen...
Jun 09, 2022•24 min
How are you feeling right now in your life with diabetes and mental health? ( ex: stressed, overwhelmed, strong, confident, tired, content, burnout, etc. ) Take a moment to check in with yourself because your mindset and feelings around your diabetes and mental health are valid and important. Diabetes is a long game, but it doesn’t have to hold you back from enjoying your life . There may be times when you want to throw in the towel, but this will only make the mental health challenges of diabet...
Jun 02, 2022•23 min
Is it important for you to have someone on your diabetes healthcare team who also lives with diabetes? I recently asked my Instagram followers this question and many responses said yes , it’s extremely important for them that someone on their team had diabetes. Diabetes is challenging and you want someone who really GETS IT and knows the day-to-day work that goes into your diabetes management. Even though many of us may not have the opportunity to have someone on our team who has diabetes, I wan...
May 26, 2022•25 min
Two years ago, at the age of 33, Jake was diagnosed with diabetes. Having lived a majority of his life without diabetes, Jake has been struggling with grieving his old life and is in the process of learning how to balance diabetes without it becoming all-consuming. In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I coach Jake and discuss tips to help him navigate the mental gymnastics of diabetes. Even though his life has changed, he can still find ways to do the things he enjoys with flexi...
May 19, 2022•35 min
**Content warning: we discuss drug prevention in an example during this podcast episode at 2:30. If you want to avoid this section, please skip to 4:04** From time to time, we all struggle with creating a healthy mental space while managing diabetes. When you think about your own mental health, do you have specific methods, routines, or habits, you lean on that help you feel better? On the other hand, do you find a way to sabotage your mental health? Think about how you are caring for your menta...
May 12, 2022•22 min
Diabetes does not define you. The stress of diabetes can feel overwhelming at times - like you can’t breathe or focus on anything else. It can feel like a constant balance between enjoying your life and prioritizing your diabetes management. But what if you could do both? You deserve to live your life to the fullest and to feel empowered to prioritize your hobbies, social activities, and all the aspects that make you… YOU . In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I share 3 steps to...
May 05, 2022•24 min
Have you ever felt really stressed out and then your CGM alarm starts blaring or your finger stick shows your sugars are going high, which then caused you to stress out even more? We have all been through stressful situations that are almost identical to this scenario. Have you ever stopped to reflect on how your mental health was impacting your blood sugars? We can't talk about managing your blood sugars without talking about your mental health because they are actually deeply intertwined and p...
Apr 28, 2022•21 min
My new book, Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handle It , launched this week!! For the past year, I have been working tirelessly to create a useful and easy-to-read guide for managing the emotional challenges of T1D. This book is designed to guide and support you as you build upon your skills in diabetes management and tap into some amazing resources that will show you how much more enjoyable life can be when you accept that you can handle diabetes..even when it sucks! In this episode of the Diabetes ...
Apr 21, 2022•20 min
Do you ever feel like you just need a break from diabetes? Do you think the best way to reduce your stress is to avoid thinking about and managing diabetes for a while? On paper, that makes sense. However, what actually happens is you make the situation worse. The more you try to avoid the stress of diabetes, the harder it comes back to bite you. In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I talk about The Paradox of Avoidance. You'll hear why trying to avoid stress does the exact oppo...
Apr 14, 2022•20 min•Ep. 83
My book, Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handle It comes out soon! As I think about the quickly approaching book release, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the habits that I formed and the lessons that I learned while writing the book. In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I talk about the 5 lessons I learned while writing my book. I share some tips on how you can use these lessons in your life to improve your diabetes management. Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handle It will be on...
Apr 07, 2022•22 min•Ep. 82
I love when I have the chance to chat with other mental health professionals who specialize in diabetes. It is even more exciting when those professionals are creating inclusive opportunities that go beyond the physically-focused mindset surrounding a diabetes diagnosis. In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, my guests are Allison Nimlos, LAMFT, and Sara Adams, LCSW. Both Allison and Sara are therapists who live with diabetes and work with people living with diabetes. Together, th...
Mar 31, 2022•32 min•Ep. 81
When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 23 years ago, I had a lot of challenges and had no clue what I was doing! I was scared and overwhelmed. In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist podcast, I tell you about 5 things I wish I would have done earlier in my diagnosis for my mental health. No matter how long you have been living with diabetes, I hope my experiences can help you on your journey. Click HERE to join The Diabetes Psychologist Membership. Use code COMMUNITY to get your first mo...
Mar 24, 2022•20 min•Ep. 80
Being a teenager is tough. Being a teen with T1D is extremely challenging. From navigating relationships with family, friends, and teachers to gaining independence and eventually moving out on their own, diabetes can put a wrench in the already landmine-ridden world of adolescence. But this doesn't mean that all hope is lost! My guest on this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast is Dr. Kenneth Gorfinke. Dr. Ken is a psychologist who works with teens and their parents to help them improve...
Mar 17, 2022•27 min•Ep. 79
Do you blame T1D for all the problems in your life? You had a bad day at work...diabetes is to blame. You got in a fight with your wife...it's T1D's fault! Your kids aren't behaving...diabetes is responsible. We all scapegoat diabetes to some extent, and sometimes, we don't even realize we are doing it. In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I talk about what it means to scapegoat T1D and give you the four most common reasons why people do it. Then, I give you three steps you can ...
Mar 10, 2022•20 min•Ep. 78
The diabetes community has many faces. We come from diverse backgrounds, and each of us is unique. However, we are all united by the common bond of type 1 diabetes. The diabetes community comes together in different ways. Sometimes it's through diabetes camps and in-person events, and other times it's running into another T1D in the wild. The T1D community also comes together through social media, podcasts, and even photography. My guest on this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast is La...
Mar 03, 2022•22 min•Ep. 77
My listener's keep the questions coming, and I want to keep the answers flowing. This episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast is dedicated to answering your questions. In this episode of my podcast, I answer questions about: ✔️ How to make T1D less annoying ✔️ How to combat decision fatigue ✔️ How to learn to trust diabetes technology ✔️ Whether T1D ever gets any easier Click HERE to join The Diabetes Psychologist Membership. Follow The Diabetes Psychologist on Instagram @thediabetespsychol...
Feb 24, 2022•23 min•Ep. 76
Raise your hand if you've even been self-critical about T1D. People with T1D tend to be hard on themselves. We beat ourselves up when our blood sugars are out of range, when we don't make the healthiest choices, or when the emotional burden of T1D weighs us down. Self-compassion with T1D is possible, and I want to tell you how. In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I talk about self-compassion and give you a step-by-step guide on how you can be more compassionate with yourself ar...
Feb 17, 2022•24 min•Ep. 75
You are probably focusing your time and energy with T1D in the wrong place! You most likely focus your attention on things you don't have complete control over. You focus on your blood sugars and how you feel physically and emotionally. You try to control these variables, sometimes with limited success. And when you can't control them, you double down and try even harder. What if I told you there was a better place to focus your energy with T1D? In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podca...
Feb 10, 2022•21 min•Ep. 74
I don't know about you, but I fail with T1D all the time. Things don't always go as planned. It's just part of life. We need to change the way we think about failure with T1D. I want to encourage you to lean in and be open to the possibility of failure in your life with T1D. When you try to avoid failing, you stay stuck and deny yourself the opportunity to grow. In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I discuss why failure with T1D can be a good thing. You'll hear how being open to...
Feb 03, 2022•19 min•Ep. 73
I have some exciting news! My book, Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handle It is coming soon. Last year, I came to a realization. T1D gets a lot more challenging when you start believing you can’t handle this stress. When you accept that T1D sucks AND believe you can handle it, life with T1D gets a lot easier. And from there, this book was born. In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast I talk about what you're going to learn when you read the book, as well as what the process of writing t...
Jan 27, 2022•23 min•Ep. 72
Have you ever felt embarrassed by your diabetes supplies? If so, you're not alone! The good news is, it doesn't have to be this way! My guest on this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast is Kyrra Richards, founder of Myabetic . A professional dancer, Kyrra was diagnosed with T1D when she was 24 years old, and like many people, felt embarrassed by her diabetes supplies. An artist at heart, she started thinking about how she could make her diabetes gear better reflect her personality. Kyrr...
Jan 20, 2022•29 min•Ep. 71
