LiveFree with T1D

In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast , I talk all about imposter syndrome with T1D. I discuss where imposter syndrome comes from, how it impacts your mental health with T1D, and also how sometimes it can help you. After listening to this episode, you'll see that imposter syndrome is more common than you think and that it doesn't have to stop you from managing your diabetes. At the...

In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast , I talk about why approaching T1D with a beginner's mind can do wonders for your mental health. After listening to this episode, you'll see how being curious, open, and eager to learn about your diabetes, without letting your biases and preconceptions can help you see your T1D in a whole new light. At the end of this episode, I give you some pr...

In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast,  I dive into how you can develop trust with your diabetes technology. I discuss why learning to trust your insulin pump, CGM, and automated insulin delivery device can be challenging (especially if they have given you a reason not to trust them in the past), and why building trust can help both your diabetes management and your mental...

I love getting questions from my listener's and recently, they have been coming in hot! This episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast is dedicated to answering your questions. In this episode of my podcast, I answer questions about: ✔️ How you'll know when you're emotionally healthy with T1D ✔️ How to deal with feeling like a failure with T1D ✔️ Why trying so hard to manage T1D might not be th...

The story is the same... If you were diagnosed with T1D as an adult, you go to the doctor (or the emergency room), they test your glucose and tell you that you have diabetes. Then they hand you a bag with insulin, a couple of generic brochures about diabetes and send you on your way. You know you have T1D, however you have NO IDEA how to manage your condition. Sound familiar? My guest on this...

Fear of low blood sugar can make life with type 1 diabetes (T1D) stressful. People with a fear of lows not only have trouble keeping their blood sugar in range but also living their lives. Often, they avoid activities they think may send their blood sugar low, especially physical activity. People often ask me how I treat folks who have a fear of low blood sugar. I want to walk you through my proce...

It’s been about 2 months since my book, Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handle It , was released! Since then, I have been receiving fantastic feedback, both positive and negative, that I want to dig a little deeper into today.  In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I share an overview of my style of work around T1D and mental health and answer questions that critics brought forward...

When you live with diabetes or care for someone with diabetes, you carry the weight of constantly being aware of your blood sugar and that can become incredibly exhausting! Sometimes, you may feel confident and in control, and other times, you may feel defeated. If you are experiencing difficult emotions such as burnout or frustrations around your diabetes, know that this is completely normal , bu...

What do you tell yourself when you are facing challenges in your life with diabetes? How you feel about yourself and your diabetes matters, but we all know how difficult diabetes can be and when we are dealing with challenges, sometimes we make things worse through the negative stories and thoughts we create in our minds about our diabetes.  In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcas...

How many times have you checked your blood sugar and it’s out of range, so you throw logic out the window and quickly react instead of pausing to think about what your next move should be? Maybe you panic and start eating the entire kitchen due to a low blood sugar, or you take more insulin than needed because you are terrified of the issues that can happen when your blood sugar is at a higher lev...

How are you feeling right now in your life with diabetes and mental health?  ( ex: stressed, overwhelmed, strong, confident, tired, content, burnout, etc. )   Take a moment to check in with yourself because your mindset and feelings around your diabetes and mental health are valid and important. Diabetes is a long game, but it doesn’t have to hold you back from enjoying your life . There...

Is it important for you to have someone on your diabetes healthcare team who also lives with diabetes? I recently asked my Instagram followers this question and many responses said yes , it’s extremely important for them that someone on their team had diabetes.  Diabetes is challenging and you want someone who really GETS IT and knows the day-to-day work that goes into your diabetes managemen...

Two years ago, at the age of 33, Jake was diagnosed with diabetes. Having lived a majority of his life without diabetes, Jake has been struggling with grieving his old life and is in the process of learning how to balance diabetes without it becoming all-consuming. In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I coach Jake and discuss tips to help him navigate the mental gymnastics of...

**Content warning: we discuss drug prevention in an example during this podcast episode at 2:30. If you want to avoid this section, please skip to 4:04** From time to time, we all struggle with creating a healthy mental space while managing diabetes. When you think about your own mental health, do you have specific methods, routines, or habits, you lean on that help you feel better? On the other h...

Diabetes does not define you.  The stress of diabetes can feel overwhelming at times - like you can’t breathe or focus on anything else. It can feel like a constant balance between enjoying your life and prioritizing your diabetes management. But what if you could do both? You deserve to live your life to the fullest and to feel empowered to prioritize your hobbies, social activitie...

Have you ever felt really stressed out and then your CGM alarm starts blaring or your finger stick shows your sugars are going high, which then caused you to stress out even more? We have all been through stressful situations that are almost identical to this scenario. Have you ever stopped to reflect on how your mental health was impacting your blood sugars? We can't talk about managing your bloo...

My new book, Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handle It , launched this week!! For the past year, I have been working tirelessly to create a useful and easy-to-read guide for managing the emotional challenges of T1D. This book is designed to guide and support you as you build upon your skills in diabetes management and tap into some amazing resources that will show you how much more enjoyable life can b...

Do you ever feel like you just need a break from diabetes? Do you think the best way to reduce your stress is to avoid thinking about and managing diabetes for a while? On paper, that makes sense. However, what actually happens is you make the situation worse. The more you try to avoid the stress of diabetes, the harder it comes back to bite you. In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcas...

My book, Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handle It comes out soon!   As I think about the quickly approaching book release, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the habits that I formed and the lessons that I learned while writing the book.  In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I talk about the 5 lessons I learned while writing my book. I share some tips on how you can us...

I love when I have the chance to chat with other mental health professionals who specialize in diabetes. It is even more exciting when those professionals are creating inclusive opportunities that go beyond the physically-focused mindset surrounding a diabetes diagnosis.   In this episode of the Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, my guests are Allison Nimlos, LAMFT, and Sara Adams, LCSW. Both All...

When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 23 years ago, I had a lot of challenges and had no clue what I was doing! I was scared and overwhelmed. In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist podcast, I tell you about 5 things I wish I would have done earlier in my diagnosis for my mental health. No matter how long you have been living with diabetes, I hope my experiences can help you on your journ...

Being a teenager is tough. Being a teen with T1D is extremely challenging.  From navigating relationships with family, friends, and teachers to gaining independence and eventually moving out on their own, diabetes can put a wrench in the already landmine-ridden world of adolescence. But this doesn't mean that all hope is lost! My guest on this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast is D...

Do you blame T1D for all the problems in your life?  You had a bad day at work...diabetes is to blame. You got in a fight with your wife...it's T1D's fault! Your kids aren't behaving...diabetes is responsible. We all scapegoat diabetes to some extent, and sometimes, we don't even realize we are doing it. In this episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast, I talk about what it means to scape...

The diabetes community has many faces. We come from diverse backgrounds, and each of us is unique. However, we are all united by the common bond of type 1 diabetes. The diabetes community comes together in different ways. Sometimes it's through diabetes camps and in-person events, and other times it's running into another T1D in the wild. The T1D community also comes together through social media,...

My listener's keep the questions coming, and I want to keep the answers flowing. This episode of The Diabetes Psychologist Podcast is dedicated to answering your questions. In this episode of my podcast, I answer questions about: ✔️ How to make T1D less annoying ✔️ How to combat decision fatigue ✔️ How to learn to trust diabetes technology ✔️ Whether T1D ever gets any easier Click  HERE &nbsp...