The holiday of love is upon us once again. Whether you find yourself in a relationship, enjoying the single life or in a complicated mix of the two, Valentine’s day can be stressful for everyone. Plus, you cant forget about your other relationship! The fun, always exciting, and a little complicated, relationship you have with your diabetes. It’s important to always set aside time for some good, old fashioned self care, and what better way to celebrate the holiday than to pamper yourself and your diabetes? (give your pancreas a lil love. it’s lonely in there)
Bake a Low Carb Dessert
No matter how extreme your sweet tooth craving is, someone has probably created a low carb recipe to your liking. Dig into the never ending options of the internet and go wild. Just remember to count your carbohydrates as you go along, just in case any online recipe carb counts aren’t as accurate as they advertise.
I normally find mine on Pinterest, but here are a few i’m dying to try:
Get a Pedicure
Pedicures are incredible for diabetics! Foot care is very important for us, as we have a higher chance of issues with our piggies down the road. The long term effects of diabetes (and the reason why we need to take care of ourselves now) may include numbness in the extremities known as diabetic neuropathy, higher chances of developing infections and potential amputations of the hands and feet.
Foot maintenance is important (and fun) so you might as well kill two birds with one stone and treat yo self.
If you have had foot issues in the past please talk to your doctor before getting a pedicure.
Surround Yourself with the People you Love
Valentine’s day isn’t just for couples. It’s for friends and family and pets too! When diabetes is getting you down, and you want to take a mental break, (while still being responsible!) flock to those people (or pets) who make you happy. Social interaction has been proven to be good for your health so consider it your workout for the day.
Take a Bath
Relax after a long day of diabetes management and forget your worries in the tub. Listen to soothing music or your favorite podcast (like Pancreas Pals!). Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to further calm your mind and your worries.
Order Yourself Some Cute T1D Swag
There are so many cool Type 1 Diabetes products out there! Incredible people from all parts of the world are creating items that make this crappy disease a little more fun to manage. Whether you’re looking for fun patterns for medical tape, supply bags, or even just funky shirts, the Type 1 Diabetes community has so much to choose from.
Here are a few of my favorite sites:
- Medical Tape: ExpressionMed Tape
- Apparel and Accessories: I Have the Sugars
- Diabetic Health Journal: Lauren Bongiorno
- Apparel (seriously comfy shirts): Diaware
No matter how you choose to spend the holiday of love, remember to be good to yourself and your diabetes. She may be difficult and annoying but without loving her, you wouldn’t be here to love yourself.
Well, that was deep. okay well anyways, Happy Valentine’s day!
