Finding Gratitude with T1D

Gratitude is expressing appreciation for the things you have. It can be especially helpful to look for something to be grateful for in stressful situations.

Research shows that gratitude increases happiness and reduces stress and depression – which can help everyone with T1D. We focus so much on the challenges of living with T1D that often we don’t even notice the positives that can come from it.

From a drop in your A1c, the tasty new low carb recipe you found, or you remembered to check your blood sugar before bed, nothing is too big or small for you to be grateful for. As you are looking for things about T1D you are thankful for, the more specific you can be, the better. For example, instead of saying, ‘I’m grateful that my boyfriend supports me with my diabetes’ try to get more specific and say, ‘I’m grateful that my boyfriend gave me a hug when my blood sugar was high today after lunch.’

Finding gratitude in T1D does not mean you have to ignore the hard parts. Let’s be honest - there are plenty of challenging things about diabetes. But you might also find some positives, and there’s no reason you can’t experience the good and the bad simultaneously.

If you look, I promise you will find things about T1D to be grateful for. Here are three simple things you can do TODAY to help you find gratitude with T1D:

Set a reminder

Life gets so busy that you don’t always notice the little things you can be grateful for. Set an alarm to remind you to look for something about diabetes to be thankful for in that moment. When the alarm goes off, quickly identify one thing – remember it can be something small. The more you look for stuff about diabetes to be grateful for, the more you’ll find.

Keep a journal

Commit to writing down something you are grateful for about diabetes every night before bed. Writing down what you are grateful for helps you reflect on what happened in your life with diabetes that day. Also, if you know you have to write something down each night, you’ll be on the lookout for things about diabetes you are grateful for during the day. 

Ask for help

Sometimes we can’t see things we are grateful for, even when they are right in front of us. Ask others to help you find something about diabetes you can be thankful for. You can ask your friends and family what they notice about you and your diabetes that you might be grateful for. If you know others with T1D, you can ask them what diabetes makes them grateful, to give you ideas about where you can find gratitude.