Advantages of Type 1 Diabetes

Yes, you are getting me right, I really mean advantages of type 1 diabetes and I am not mixing it up with disadvantages. Why are all disorders or diseases considered to have disadvantages and risks? Today, my motto for writing this article is to help you channelize your thoughts towards some of the advantages of type 1 diabetes.

1. You learn to respect your self:

Try to recollect the days before you were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. You think it was similar? If I had to answer this question, I would say zameen aasman ka farak hai. I did not respect myself nor did I ever try to understand body symptoms. Before diabetes, your tummy must have grumbled an ample number of times and we would procrastinate meal timings at the cost of some silly non-critical work. In my case, after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for more than 1 and a half year, a tummy grumble means leave whatever you are doing and eat irrespective if its 12 noon or 3 pm. After being diabetic, I have taken a keen interest in understanding my body symptoms and then acting. This makes me respect myself more than better.

 2. You learn how to be selfish in self-care:

If a restaurant serves junk food and your friends are planning a dine out at that place, you either consider it as your cheat day or you eat your meal from home and join them for talks or even best you decline the plan. Trust me girls and boys and aunties and uncles, you are not at all wrong if you choose any of the above reactions. You have all the right to decline a dinner place which doesn’t serve you food your kind. More importantly, a reaction like this shows how much you care about yourself v/s the world. On the other hand, if you have given in too often, you are digging your own grave. You need a priority check. Your friends are not to be blamed for your worsening health condition.

3. You Understand Others And Self Better:

Now that you know what all it takes to manage a disease or disorder, you understand other people’s pain and challenges well. If not sailing in the same boat, the other person is sailing in a defected boat like yours. You create a special space in your mind for type 1 diabetics. Imagine meeting a type 1 or a type 2 diabetic at a function? OMG, you just spent 1 hour of your time conversing with your type of clan. This makes you so damn happy right? Very few understand you and how you feel. When people say, I understand what you’re going through, I immediately snap at them saying, “Darling you don’t and I wish you never understand too”.

4. Needles and fear? Nah, Bring it on:

I am sure the first ever insulin prick was surrounded by fear, anxiety and a lot of tears. Trust me, my journey started similarly. But no sooner you become friends with needles. As time passes, your cosmetics bag is replaced with diabetic care products and accessories. You will forget to carry your stilettos for girls and razers for boys, but never your glucose monitoring machine and your insulin pens. Am I right? Hmmm, Priorities change.

5. You understand the criticality of following a strict routine:

The type 1’s who are still trying to come to peace with stable acceptable sugars will get this. Each type 1 diabetic would relate to this especially at the very initial diagnosis stage. Routine means wake up at 8 am, go for a walk for 30mins, then have a healthy breakfast, go to work/college, etc, eat lunch on time, have a mid healthy snack, get back home and get into your work out outfits and go gyming or play a sport and end your day with a light dinner. The type 1s on long-acting/Basal insulin will need to eat meals at a prescribed time as the insulin is at work throughout the day.

6. Junk Food out, Balance food in:

I would like to ask you the same question I was asked by my dietician. What did your nana Nani’s eat? We will eat that for a better lifestyle. This generation (born in the 1990s) has been exposed to so much fast food which makes us slow in life. Both parents work, hand a 100 rupee note to the child as his reimbursement for lunch and where do you think he/she will lunch? Yeah, your right McD’s it is. As a type 1 diabetic, you need to have a balanced diet. Get back to the dal, rice, roti, vegs and yes for all the nonvegs you can feast on non-veg. But we must remember those days nana and Nani shared everything they ate. Imagine a cube of cheese being shared by 4 siblings? Now, you would just pop the entire cube in your mouth. Sharing is caring stands true here. Care not for others, for self.

7. You start looking and feeling fit:

Hand in hand with diabetes comes exercise. Yes yes we all were lazy bumps. As soon as we are back home from our daily chore, we would toss our bag on the sofa, pull a chair, get very comfortable and switch on the idiot box. A doctors prescription says, you have to walk-walk and walk more for better blood sugar control, follow it to believe it. Once you start, you will realize a day to go dull without a walk or a stroll. Excercise shows, after all, you feel good, you feel energized and trust me it is contagious. You will notice, suddenly all the lazy friends and family members become all cautious and start walking on your path to a better lifestyle. That is exactly what I aim to achieve in the long run.

8. You explore powers you think never possessed – Self Control:

Did you imagine, you had the power to control your mind?, Could you ever imagine in your dream that you could resist junk food? Did you ever imagine you would spend 2 hours a day at the gym? Compared to a TV show or a get-together? You are powerful, you just dint know until today.

Diabetes is not only all about pain related to injections and glucose monitoring. It also motivates you to open many doors you closed earlier. This article enables you to look at the brighter side of the coin. Spread Happiness, Spread Positivity.