Taking charge
How many choices have you made today? The latest research suggests that the average person makes a jaw-dropping 35,000 decisions every day.
If you're living with diabetes, you're faced with many complex decisions every day about how you look after yourself. Yet you'll likely spend less than 3 hours a year with a healthcare professional and the remaining 8,757 hours you'll be looking after your diabetes on your own.
It can be overwhelming, and can result in one of several responses:
- Denial. If you don't think about it hard enough, you believe it'll go away!
- Paralysis. You end up feeling emotionally exhausted and numb.
- Anger. You start a blame game for your problems.
- Acceptance and change. You accept the situation and decide to do something about it.
What would you like your responses to be?
Joining a diabetes education programme gives you the tools to take charge of your diabetes rather than letting it take charge of you.
So what can you do to improve both your quality of life and physical health?
Many people living with type 2 diabetes have joined programmes that have helped them understand their diabetes and live well. They have chosen to take charge of their diabetes rather than letting their diabetes take charge of them.
There's a huge range of accessible information and support for people with type 2 diabetes, that have been shown to make positive differences to people's lives. Some involve online learning, some involve group-based discussions.
Our top programmes for people living with type 2 diabetes at the moment include:
- NHS Digital Weight Management Programme - a free 12-week programme for people living with obesity and also diabetes, high blood pressure or both.
- MyDESMOND - the online education programme.
- X-PERT - running in the borough of Hounslow.
Thousands of people locally have discovered the difference that joining a programme can make to their lives.
Why not join a programme today?
My Desmond, the online version of the award-winning Desmond self-management diabetes education programme
"Taking control by being informed will improve your physical health and your quality of life"
Going on an education course helped Joni feel more confident about living with diabetes and helped her overall wellbeing.
More people are enrolling in diet and behaviour change programs to achieve remission of their type 2 diabetes. These programs have proven to be effective in helping people shed excess weight, lower their HbA1c levels (blood glucose), and eliminate the need for diabetes medication.
