Category: Chronic Illness

Is the pandemic stress getting to anyone else?

I feel like the stress of the pandemic is continuing to catch up to me in new and weird ways every day. I am quite sure this is not chronic illness specific, and instead is the direct result of being in a state of constant vigilance with just staying alive for the past year and a half plus.

Humans aren’t meant to be in a state of fear, disbelief, or really in any state but equilibrium for this long. Between the uncertainty, the changing guidance (which is how science works!), and having a ton of extra things to remember all the time (do I have a clean mask in the car? Does this outfit have pockets that support the size hand sanitizer I have with me right now?), it occurs to me that managing a chronic illness and managing the pandemic stuff are not that different. Add in the stupid advice and opinions of people who are totally not qualified to give it or have one and you essentially have a LOT of the diabetic experience.

The pandemic has been hard on everyone, and I am no exception. Prior to the pandemic I had learned a lot about my body’s response to stress thanks to a tough job with some unreasonable expectations. I got sick all the time and my blood sugars were consistently running higher than average (around 180-200 on average). The pandemic showed me some new things, including the fact that I love food and my bicycle, and that those two things are complimentary, but neither one is easy on my diabetic body on its own.

I also have learned a lot about how my diet and insulin needs vary tremendously during times of stress. Cortisol is not my friend. Recently I’ve experienced a big change in my job, long term career goals, and self-expectations. I’ve also been balancing friends and family; issues and goals. I’m thinking about the future A LOT and my blood sugars look like it.

One day recently, for instance, I ate blueberry oatmeal for breakfast. I was working on a couple of stressful meetings and had listened to the news while I was answering email. This was a folly. I took NINE UNITS of insulin for my 45-carb breakfast. AND I STILL WENT HIGH. All of this to say, stress shows diabetics how damaging it can be, but it’s important for EVERYONE to remember this, even if your oatmeal goes down fine and you don’t experience weird, momentary insulin resistance whenever you have a bad day.

Keeping this in mind, I’ve been working through some solutions to handling this stress and wanted to share them here:

1. Drink more water and clear fluids. Good advice for everyone because, hydration. If you happen to be a diabetic who also has experience with stress/blood sugar induced UTIs, the constantly needing to pee will be good for that. It will also force you to occasionally go into the bathroom and get away from your desk.
2. Get more sleep. Truly. Sleep deprivation is a stressor to your bodily systems anyway, so being actually mentally/emotionally stressed on top of it is not helpful. Also, sleep deprivation does WILD things to blood sugar and insulin resistance.
3. Get better sleep. Back away from the screens earlier if you can help it. If you’re me, just try to stop falling asleep looking at Brooklyn 99 memes on Pinterest with your phone in your hand. Also, wear something different to bed than what you’ve been lounging in, and create a “routine” of sorts, even if it’s just pajamas-check blood sugar-brush teeth-go to sleep.
4. If the news stresses you out (see the blueberry oatmeal situation above) try going for a walk or getting some other exercise while you’re listening to help contradict the stress hormone effects. Then turn the news off. A lot of it seems like a rerun of bad shit anyway.
5. Find foods that are healthy and can safely be stress eaten. I’m an emotional eater. I eat happy and I eat sad and when I’m stressed having something to crunch on makes a world of difference. I find that air popped popcorn, carrots with low-fat ranch, and fruit with some protein on the side (Peanut butter, yogurt, and string cheese are my usual go-tos) are all good options. That said, everyone is different. Find your healthy stress food and stick to it.
6. Walk away. Feel like you’re going to explode? Yelling obscenities at the screen (or a person)? Did you seriously consider throwing something? Stand up and walk away for a minute. Truly, just one minute can make a huge difference. I pet the dog, I pet the cat, I walk downstairs to refill my coffee, and all of these things help me keep my sanity and my professional and personal relationships. Sometimes I walk away to find my Xanax when my blood sugar is 400 and I’ve passed the point of being able to calm myself down. It’s about balance.
7. Unclench your jaw. Seriously. It’s clenched and your brow is furrowed. Let your mouth hang open for a second. Pretend you’re shocked and do your best Pikachu face to help un-furrow your brow. Pain is also a blood sugar trigger.
8. WALK AWAY FROM THE CAFFEINE FOR A MINUTE.  The shaking from the caffeine is not helping the nervousness your central nervous system continues to claim. Caffeine also impacts blood sugar. Ask yourself-is a cheetah chasing me, or have I just had three cups of coffee on an empty stomach? 
9. Set boundaries and keep them. You have an appointment-keep it. You have plans with friends or family-keep them. Don’t cancel for work unless it’s absolutely necessary. Don’t make yourself crazy doing things you “think” you should do instead of things you should and can do. Again, balance. You don’t want to talk about a subject that stresses you-don’t. You want a different pedicurist because this guy is hard on your hands and you don’t trust him with your feet (a real example)? Ask for someone else. Set boundaries for yourself in every area of your life and then stick to those even when they’re hard.
10. Say “No” when you don’t want to do something and ask for something when you do want it. Resentment builds up when you don’t do either of those things; disappointment sets in when you only do one and expect the other to follow. No, I can’t take on one more project right now. Can someone please give me a hand with this? Justin, can you please handle dinner so I can ride my bike? (Etc., Etc., you get the point!).
11. Figure out what foods you absolutely can’t consume while you’re stressed out. There are some for all of us. For me, several of these items are traditional comfort food (like mac-and-cheese or pizza). It sucks, but eating those things is just going to cause me hours and hours of painful blood sugars. Not worth it. Find alternatives and learn to love it, or doctor it up to make it what you want.
12. Take notes. I frequently bitch about my body feeling like a science experiment, but really, the principles of effective science experiments apply. Take notes on what certain foods or situations cause you pain or impact your blood sugar. Write down how much insulin you took, what stressed you out, etc. Try to duplicate those experiences (when it’s safe to) to verify the results. Then take those notes to an actual doctor, CDE, or therapist and use their fancy-science based degrees to help you make informed decisions about your care and the way you handle stress.
13. Finally, take care of your needs first whenever you can. There’s a reason why they say on airplanes to put on your own mask before you help the people around you. You’re not useful to yourself or to other people when you’re not taking care of yourself to the best of your ability. I love this expression and it’s fitting here: “Don’t set yourself on fire to keep other people warm”. Truer words have never been spoken. If you don’t care for you, there won’t be a you to care for anyone else. Chronic illness makes this process just take less time than it does for other people. So take care of yourself and then you can take care of others.

Featured Image Credit for this article: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/calming