Living with diabetes can feel challenging and overwhelming at times. Managing your mental health is important to help you live well with diabetes.
It may help to talk to your family or a healthcare professional about how you feel. It can help them understand what you're going through so that they can support you.
Diabetes and stress
Living with diabetes can affect your mood. Getting a diagnosis of diabetes can come as a shock or surprise to some people.
Some people find that living with diabetes can feel stressful or upsetting.
We also know that your mental health can affect how you manage your diabetes. It can be more difficult to make healthy changes, take your medicines or attend regular check-ups when you feel overwhelmed or have a low mood.
Feeling stressed can increase your blood glucose levels and make them more challenging to manage.
Minding your mental health
Looking after your mental health is an important way to look after your health with diabetes.
To mind your mental health, try to:
- look after your body – try to make healthy food choices, get enough sleep, be active
- keep in touch with your friends and family
- go to your appointments and check-ups
- check your work policy about sick leave
- make sure you have supplies and repeat prescriptions up to date
- say no to things if you need to, and ask for help if you feel you need it
- get your information from reliable sources
- attend a free diabetes support course
Get support to help you
It can be hard telling people that you have type 2 diabetes. But it can help for certain people to know.
Your family, partner, carer or friend can support you:
- if you want to make healthy changes to support your diabetes management
- by attending a diabetes support course with you
- by attending your check ups with you and taking notes
If you have a medical card you can get free counselling sessions from the HSE's Counselling in Primary Care service (CIPC). Talk to your GP for more information.
Ask your doctor or diabetes team about support available in your area.
Getting help for your mental health
Online resources for mental health
Get mental health advice and support
Relaxation and mindfulness exercises
Minding your wellbeing is a HSE video mental wellbeing programme. You can learn more about mindfulness, gratitude, self-care and resilience.
Diabetes distress
Some people who have type 2 diabetes may experience diabetes distress. Diabetes distress is when you feel stressed, upset or overwhelmed because of your diabetes. It is a normal reaction to living with diabetes.
Diabetes distress can happen from the pressure of managing diabetes, or worrying about possible health problems that could happen.
Signs that you may be experiencing diabetes distress include:
- feeling angry about diabetes and frustrated about the demands of managing your diabetes
- worrying about managing your diabetes
- not looking after your health with diabetes, such as not taking medicines, not attending your check ups, making unhealthy food choices regularly
- feeling down, alone and isolated
- feeling exhausted, burnt-out or overwhelmed by looking after your diabetes
Speak to your healthcare team if you think you are experiencing diabetes distress.
Living well programme - support for people living with a long-term health condition
