Diabetes Home

Take Charge of Your Diabetes

4. Feelings About Having Diabetes

Support Groups
Counseling

Living with diabetes isn’t easy. It’s normal to feel troubled about it. Tell your health care team how you feel. Point out any problems you have with your diabetes care plan. Your diabetes educator or other health care provider may be able to help you think of ways to deal with these problems.

Image of a family of 3 sitting around a table.
Ask your family to help you manage your diabetes.

Talk about the stresses you feel at home, school, and work. How do you cope with these pressures? If your feelings are getting in the way of taking care of yourself, you need to ask for help.

Top of Page

Support Groups

It helps to talk with other people who have problems like your own. You may want to think about joining a diabetes support group. In support groups, people who have just found out they have diabetes can learn from people who have lived with it for a long time. People can talk about and share how they deal with their diabetes. They can also talk about how they take care of their health, how they prepare food, and how they get physical activity. Family members who do not have diabetes may want to join a support group, too. Ask your health care team about support groups for people with diabetes and their families and friends.

Image of a support group sitting around a table.
It can help to talk with other people who have problems like your own.

If there is not a support group in your area, you may want to call a diabetes organization (see list of organizations) about starting a group.

Top of Page

Counseling

One-on-one and family counseling sessions may also help. Be sure to see a counselor who knows about diabetes and its care. Ask your health care provider to help you find a counselor.

Return to Table of Contents