My Personal Burnout story & Pancreas Pals Podcast Episode 4 ft. ME!
Instagram: @bastheboss
YouTube: Basma Adams
Facebook: @VoiceforChampions
Twitter: @bastheboss_
Hey Champions!
Welcome back to the blog!
Today's post is personal and very close to heart - every diabetic has been through it, or will at some point in their life. It's oddly inevitable, and in a weird way it's almost a rite of passage, because with diabetes and burnout, you can really get through anything else life throws you.
So let's not waste any time here, and I'll get straight to it - my personal story with diabetes burnout.
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I don't remember an exact day or time where I know I hit the burnout stage... but in an odd sense, I can tell you the exact year of high school and around what time of year (the holidays, oh yippee) that it hit me. It hit me hard. And I wasn't expecting that.
Now I pride on taking care of myself. Obviously it's a very integral part of my life, one I take very seriously. And I am the 'mom' to many if not all of my friends. I make smart decisions regarding my health because I know how important it is so that I can feel and be my best. And I inspire other people to do the same. As a public speaker and National Advocate, I actually preach what I speak, so I wasn't ready for what diabetes burnout was when it made it's way around to me.
Many other people would call it a teenagers' rebellious ways - a phase obviously. And while it was a phase that would pass, it definitely wasn't because I was a normal teenager who didn't want to do simple thing like chores.
It was because I was feeling the burden of diabetes.
Diabetes burnout is one of the most ignored topics in diabetes - don't be ashamed if you are going through it, speak up and tell someone you trust and know, it makes all the difference!
High school is a very interesting time - you're growing up, there's hormones involved, and you're trying to decide what to do with the rest of your life! It's a stressful time, and throwing diabetes in the mix is hard.
Mainly, I was tired of just having to constantly think about diabetes - what to do, what not to do, what to eat, prick my finger now, wait now I'm low, ok now I'm high and I have to check my sugar some more... many people DON'T THINK about how diabetes is a FULL-TIME JOB. We don't get any vacations, breaks, time off. We're constantly having to deal with this part of our lives 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
I just didn't want to have to deal with it - and that was a very different sort of feeling for me. Not one I'm used to, not that anyone could. But things like checking my blood sugar became a huge burden, something I tried to avoid doing. I didn't want to think about carb counting, or figuring out how much insulin to give. NOW, I still did everything I was supposed to do, but I was unhappy. As most people describe it, you hit a wall in your diabetes journey and no longer feel like dealing with it.
The funny part about diabetes is that you can't afford to NOT deal with it, but there is so much space for error and mess-ups! Yet... we as diabetics try our hardest to do everything perfectly. It's hard, and sometimes it feels like your stuck in a never-ending circle of doom, where all you worry about is blood sugars and carb counts, and that can drive any sane human being CRAZY!
I think the most important part in my burnout was to take it day by day. I started each morning telling myself it was a new day, and a new chance to do well, to forget about anything that happened the day before. No one is perfect! So don't beat yourself up about it. It's going to be tough, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
After going through diabetes burnout and having seen what being down about your diabetes feels like, I learned the valuable lesson of being optimistic. I'm a very cheery, optimistic person overall but to go through something as hard as burnout teaches you how to turn everything into a silverlining.
I try to think about everything in a positive light, because life is just too damn short to be negative all the time! It's so important to love life, and love yourself more importantly. Whether it be the small things or not, you can always find the good in a bad situation, and that's something I strive to do everyday.
If there's one thing you guys learn from today's post, I hope it's the importance of happiness and not letting anything deter you from that. It's amazing what an open outlook on life can do for us, so remember that whenever the going gets tough.
Diabetes burnout changed me, but it taught me that I can handle anything and everything. My family was my rock during that tough time, and they helped me get through it. Find your support, and lean on them. Burnout is no joke, and to be honest, no one but those who go through it will be able to understand you.
For my dis-homies out there, I get you! I'm here for you!
If you guys ever need anyone to talk to, hit me up on any social media, I love interacting with you guys and answering my DM's!
(@bastheboss on instagram)
I advocate for all of you - those who have diabetes, who love someone living with it, or who just want to learn more about it. I speak and yell and shout for diabetes legislation and rights for my friends who live with diabetes. I do it for those with and without a voice. I want to be part of the change that I want to see happen, and without you guys, that wouldn't be possible. So thank you to everyone who supports me and encourages me, I appreciate you!
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AND SPEAKING OF DIABETES BURNOUT...
I love listening to podcasts, especially diabetes driven ones created by type one-badasses. This week, I got to talk on PancreasPals, a podcast by two awesome chicks Emily and Chrsitie who both have T1D and talk about all kinds of topics related to diabetes to help other young adults navigate the highs and lows (lol!) of diabetes.
Honestly, talking to them was SOOOOO much fun!!! I didn't want it to end, and we had so much fun talking about my advocacy efforts, the American Diabetes Association, medical ID tags, and of course diabetes burnout! Make sure to check them out here to hear my interview with them!!! MAKE SURE TO CHECK EM OUTTTTT they're super cool human beings :) who doesn't want to know some super cool human beings?
You can follow em on instagram HERE
Their website HERE
And our interview HERE!
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I hope you guys learned something new and enjoyed getting to see a more personal side of me today! Thank you to Pancreas Pals for our podcast today, I had so much fun!
Thank you for reading my blog and make sure to connect with me on my other social media accounts below! (just click the links)
Instagram: @bastheboss
YouTube: Basma Adams
Facebook: @VoiceforChampions
Twitter: @bastheboss_
Until next week my Champions!
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"Because together, we'll go from type one to type NONE!"
xoxo,
Basma