3 Diabetes Tips for 2018

A lot of diabetes advice tends to be about what to eat to manage diabetes or ways to handles highs and lows, but there is so much more to living with the day to day reality of diabetes. Here are three different ways you can improve your life while living with diabetes.

1.Keeping up with research.

Getting involved in fundraising activities, donating to diabetes institutions , and managing your diabetes are all crucial when it comes being ahead of the game; it is also crucial to stay up to date with the latest research and technology to take advantage of diabetes breakthroughs.

One of the best ways to keep up with local diabetes research is to follow the Alberta Diabetes Institute on their website and their social media. Alberta is home to diabetes pioneering research (such as The Edmonton Protocol ), and this research has some of the fastest clinical to real world turn-around times. This means that Albertans are likely to be the first to benefit from new information and studies.

2.Creating an e-support network.

Many people you know may have a friend or two that is currently living with diabetes, or have a family member living with diabetes, but you may not have a whole support network around you. Sure, your family and friends may understand and try to support you to the fullest capacity, but they will never be able to fully understand what it is like to live with it. The internet and its social media platforms have given us the ability to connect with others around the world. This opens us up to the ability to communicate and to foster relationships with an entire community of those living with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

Facebook is a good example of a social media platform that hosts groups and pages dedicated to diabetes news and communities. A few Facebook examples include the Type 2 Diabetes forum , the Diabetes Daily Group , and the Diabetes Connect Group by UpWell Health.

3.Empowering yourself to empower others.

Perhaps the most important tip to living with diabetes in 2018 is to empower yourself. Diabetes research, technology, health management systems, and communities have come so far ever since the disease was first discovered. Building off the first and second tips, there are so many resources at your fingertips to not only manage your diabetes, but to live a long and healthy life with it. Many individuals with diabetes have documented their journey, which helps lead to research breakthroughs, building connections, and serves as inspiration for others.

A great way to start empowering yourself and being helpful to others in your community is to start a blog. Here are a few of the best blogs in 2018 to source inspiration from. As well, it is extremely inspiring to others in the community when they see you volunteering in your community in any capacity. Volunteering at your local diabetes foundation or diabetes organization is a great start to helping empower your community.