Caring for mind and body through meditation and diabetes

People may not see many connections between meditation and diabetes, but for those living with the condition, the practice can have many benefits. As much as the physical management of diabetes is important, so are the emotional and mental aspects of your care. Healthy coping strategies involving the mind-body connection are more useful to people with diabetes than you may think!

Meditation can help you prioritize caring for yourself in the different ways that diabetes impacts your life. Read on to explore how you can take care of your mind and body to live your healthiest life with diabetes.

What is meditation?

Meditation is the practice of training one's awareness to become more engaged with the present moment, typically resulting in improved health and happiness. As a mind-body approach to health and wellness, there are many ways to meditate, and each of them has the potential to complement your diabetes management.

Meditation can benefit people living with diabetes by improving physical, mental, and emotional health. Better yet, the benefits extend beyond diabetes health and into other areas of life.

Benefits of meditation

You may have heard that meditation can help you relax as you develop a more intentional focus, but did you know it can also benefit your body? Meditation can help calm the mind and promote better sleep, but that's not all. The Mayo Clinic noted that meditation, combined with conventional medicine, may improve physical health.

Taking insulin and/or other medications, eating well, and staying physically active are all key to managing diabetes, but sometimes managing stress is a forgotten piece of care and self-management. Stress is a pervasive side effect of living with this condition — often affecting physical inflammation and disrupting peace of mind — so it's vital to approach it as an important part of overall diabetes care.

Studies like one published in the International Journal of Yoga have shown that meditation can positively impact the body's stress response, an area of focus in living a healthy, well-rounded life with diabetes. It found that meditation can help with stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders; lowering blood pressure; allowing for restful sleep; and supporting the immune system. Practicing mindfulness can even assist with limiting stress-based or emotional eating.

In terms of diabetes management, the benefits of meditation may include:

• Building the foundation for a holistic care routine for diabetes management
  
• Lowering insulin resistance by reducing cortisol levels, making blood sugar easier to manage
• Slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure, assisting in the prevention of related complications
• Reducing inflammatory markers to support the immune system and soothe inflammation-induced insulin resistance
• Encouraging mindful decision-making in a world where people with diabetes are in a constant state of making decisions that impact their well-being

Perhaps most importantly, meditation can help you become more compassionate toward yourself when things don't go according to plan — something people with diabetes know a little something about!

Although the benefits of meditation and diabetes may get you started with this new healthy habit, you're likely to notice a wide-reaching ripple effect in all areas of your life. Looking inward, quiet moments in meditation allow you to get acquainted with the subtle signs the body sends signifying a shift in blood glucose levels. Cultivating feelings of peace and acceptance through meditation may improve your relationship with yourself as you wrestle through diabetes-specific emotional challenges. In resolving those challenges, you may find yourself able to open the door to healthier relationships with those alongside you in your diabetes journey, too.

Ways to meditate

Integrating meditation into your life may be simpler than you expect. It's free, requires no equipment, and can take as much (or as little) time as you have to dedicate to it on any given day. The practice of meditation is unique to the individual, so it's up to you to decide if you want to start or end your day with it, or even find ways to sprinkle mindfulness in throughout the day. You can explore different methods and philosophies of meditation to find what works best for you.

Some tips for beginners:

• Breath awareness or body scan meditations are good places to start because of the simple focus on one direction at a time.

• If sitting with your thoughts feels intimidating right off the bat, explore a moving meditation involving walking, dancing, or yoga poses, which may feel more accessible to you.

• Repeating a mantra (like "I listen to my body and meet its needs every day") can help you focus your thoughts when they start to run wild.

Although you don't need an instructor or directions to get started, some people feel more comfortable seeking out additional guidance. You can download a guided meditation app, allowing you to take the practice with you wherever you find yourself throughout your day.

Here are some apps you may be interested in exploring:

• Headspace

• InsightTimer

• Calm

• Happy Not Perfect

• Aura

Keep in mind that, just like any other health and wellness tool, meditation may not be for you. It's important to remember that there's no one "right" way to care for yourself. If you're unsure if meditation is a healthy approach for your unique needs, particularly if you've experienced trauma or severe anxiety in your past, reach out to your doctor or licensed mental health professional to get their assessment before proceeding further.

Make the world a more mindful place

While meditation and diabetes can be a private thing if you wish it to be, you might find that sharing this journey with loved ones will benefit everyone. It's always helpful to have supportive accountability when trying something new for your health, and your friends and family might just thank you for bringing the benefits of meditation into their lives as well. When you feel better in your own body and soul, it's easy to spread the good vibrations far and wide!

In a time when living with diabetes is just one of many potential stressors, managing mental health is more important than ever. Explore additional strategies for taking care of yourself on Health Insights.