i love the winter holiday season. precious in-person gatherings with far-flung family, christmas-lights-lined streets as i walk my dog, cozy-home cooked meals by candlelight. in some ways, it can be the most relaxing and rejuvenating time of the year.
in other, very real ways, it can be fraught with stress and anxiety (for many reasons), including if you live with a chronic condition like diabetes—as i do.
this time of year can be filled with frenzied last-minute shopping, hectic hosting duties, and the most dreaded…airport chaos. and for those of us with diabetes, this fluctuation in schedules and stress levels can make managing our blood sugar trickier than usual.
however, in my own personal experience, managing my glucose levels is not what can make the holidays emotionally taxing for me. after seven years living with diabetes, i’m pretty much an expert in managing my condition. i know what works for me, and with the help of my healthcare team, i have excellent tools and tactics that allow me to live my best yuletide life.
what can be quite taxing is how people treat me and others who live with diabetes during this season. whether out of love or good (albeit misguided) intentions, the family, friends, and colleagues you celebrate with are prone to policing our food and drink choices and inadvertently stigmatizing our actions. this can leave you feeling blamed and shamed, at a time when all you really want to do is enjoy the festivities and the food (in a quantity and type that works for you) like everyone else.
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