You reported to have negative emotions when (not) monitoring your blood glucose. Know that you are not alone. Many people with diabetes will develop negative emotions about monitoring glucose, mostly because they focus too much on the outcome of the measurement. Basically, people ‘punish’ themselves emotionally, when having high or low blood sugar. And thoughts will automatically pop up, such as ‘’I should have done this..’’ or ‘’I should not have done that…’’, blaming themselves for not having the best glucose levels.
Our advise? STOP IT NOW! Blaming yourself is ALWAYS counterproductive, and will not help in optimizing your glucose levels nor in increasing your glucose monitoring. When blaming ourselves, our brain is ‘’negative’’ and functions less optimal: we simply cannot perform at our best anymore. It might even lead to a stress reaction, that increases blood sugar…. So, the best you can do is stop blaming yourself.
Focus on your behaviour, in stead of the outcomes/numbers. When you have done a fingerprick: make yourself a compliment. Well-done!! Regardless the outcome. You were able to contribute to your health in a positive way: you monitored your glucose. And when the outcome was not what you hoped it to be, it was even more important that you monitored. Good!
If you want to change your negative feelings about monitoring, try to make yourself a compliment every time you do it. It is even more productive when you let others (help to) make you a compliment!