Find your superpower while balancing diabetes and COVID-19

When it comes to navigating diabetes and COVID-19 regulations, pandemic-induced isolation can have a significant effect on your mood and overall well-being. But instead of focusing on the obvious negatives of the situation, try making a mental shift during this temporary, extraordinary season — commit to finding your inner superhero!

Astronaut Christina Koch returned to Earth on February 6, 2020, after a record-setting stay onboard the International Space Station. When asked how she stayed motivated while being isolated she replied by, "Focusing on the unique aspects of my life that one day I would just wish I could have back."

Her sentiments were extremely timely. Just a few weeks later we were quarantined in our homes, isolated from work, school, family, and friends. I have repeated her words many times these past several months, constantly asking myself, "How can I make my home work better?" Or, "What activities can I accomplish more easily without the distractions of being physically present at work or engaging in social events?"

Here are a few of the ways I've been making the most out of diabetes and COVID-19 isolation, which may also help you cope.

Get out of a food fog

For me personally, physically going into the office presents food-related challenges that can make noticing subtle diabetes trends difficult. I can do my best to stick to my routine, but there are often treats and snacks around that can be tempting.

Quarantine has provided the perfect backdrop to hone in on this aspect of diabetes management. I've been able to easily perform two rounds of basal-rate checks while working from home. And without the peer pressure of social lunches or community doughnuts, I've been able to perform half-day fasts to tweak my underlying basal rates. Ask your endocrinologist if this is a good time for you to perform a similar check.

Make your home work for you (and your diabetes)

I recently shared my recipe for creating the perfect diabetes "shelfie" on Instagram. To reduce my exposure to the coronavirus, I've been diligent about staying home for the last year. During this time, one of my goals has been to organize my diabetes supplies.

I ordered a few plastic containers and got to work creating a dedicated, efficient space where I can quickly see how many supplies I have left and grab all the pieces for an insulin pump site change without digging through multiple ripped up boxes. I purged outdated test strips and expired glucagon kits in the process, making more room for the essentials. It felt great.

I have plans to continue streamlining my home to make diabetes decisions easier, such as organizing my pantry and including a basket for diabetes-friendly snacks as well as separately, preportioned low blood sugar recovery food. You may be surprised how helpful small tweaks can be!

Establish habits without distractions

As someone who's a bit self-conscious about going to the gym, I've thrived on virtual workout programs and apps during quarantine. Not only has it been a great time to try out different methods, but being at home gives me more flexibility on timing.

Now, I can use a well-timed exercise session as a way to bring down my blood sugar without a large insulin correction. Fitting in a short workout routine between meetings also helps me stay alert and motivated throughout the day while decreasing insulin resistance. That's a huge win-win.

The extra time at home has also given me more opportunities to review my diabetes data periodically — something I wasn't so deliberate with before. Now, I can do a quick download or check the data tracked in my apps to identify areas of diabetes management I can tighten up. I'm thankful for this opportunity to establish better habits (with limited distractions) and hope that I can keep up with them even when the world starts to return to "normal."

Bust out of your social bubble, virtually

Even as someone who has been active in the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) for a decade, I've discovered new media and groups to connect with others since COVID-19 hit. As a traditionalist, I used to focus my DOC attention on blogs and social media personalities, but recently I've found solace in diabetes-related podcasts. Something about hearing people talk about diabetes makes me feel less alone. Plus, it's a great way to learn new management tips and hear new voices talk about life with the condition.

Here are a few podcasts that you may enjoy checking out:

Somewhat ironically, quarantine may also provide you the motivation you've been looking for to jump into the DOC yourself and offer up your own story. Share your diabetes successes and challenges virtually with a local support group, or go "old school" and share some thoughts on a blog or your social media profiles. Hearing stories from others who are thriving during this time of diabetes and COVID-19 can be extremely motivational.

For me, this period of isolation and quarantine has been a mental balancing act. I go back and forth (sometimes minute-by-minute) between the sentiments, "Wow, it's so nice to be able to work in my pajamas," and, "Gosh, I really miss those water cooler conversations." But at the end of the day, I know this is a temporary situation — and the best thing I can do is try and focus on maintaining resilience and developing the superpowers this unique situation bestows.

Interested in using your extra time at home to learn more about life with type 1 diabetes? Explore more perspectives within the library of content on Health Insights.