Depression: More Than Just a Bad Mood
Mental health affects so many aspects of daily life—how you think and feel, handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. You can see how having a mental health problem could make it harder to stick to your diabetes care plan.
Better yet, find a mental health care provider to guide you through the emotional terrain around your disease. With diabetes, feeling physically good is half the battle. Feeling mentally good is the other half.
Symptoms of depression can be mild to severe, and include:
- Feeling sad or empty
- Losing interest in favorite activities
- Overeating or not wanting to eat at all
- Not being able to sleep or sleeping too much
- Having trouble concentrating or making decisions
- Feeling very tired
- Feeling hopeless, irritable, anxious, or guilty
- Having aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems
- Having thoughts of suicide or death
If you think you might have depression, get in touch with your doctor right away for help getting treatment. The earlier depression is treated, the better for you, your quality of life, and your diabetes.
When you feel anger, there are a number of things you can do to short circuit it:
- Take a breath
- Take an even deeper breath
- Get a drink of water
- Sit down
- Lean back
- Shake your arms loose
- Work to silence yourself
- Take a walk