Make your wellbeing a priority in the New Year
Your wellbeing matters
The festive season disrupts our regular routines, and when you’re managing diabetes amid the hustle and bustle, it can be easy to overlook the importance of prioritising wellbeing.
Simply put, wellbeing is feeling good about yourself and your life. We can achieve wellbeing by taking care of our physical, mental, emotional, and social health and finding balance in all aspects of life.
If your wellbeing often takes a backseat in favour of daily monitoring and calculations, work, family commitments and other responsibilities, resolve to place wellbeing at the
forefront in the year ahead.
Sleep and mental health
Good quality sleep is crucial for your mental health – it can help to improve your mood, memory, and your ability to manage stress. Most adults need about eight hours every night, but this can vary.
How to improve your sleep:
- Regular exercise – being active during the day helps to prepare your body for sleep.
- Choose a relaxing activity in the hour before bedtime.
- Go to bed at a similar time every night.
- Avoid looking at your phone screen for the last 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Limit naps – napping disrupts your sleep routine.
Keep active
Regular physical activity can help you get a better night’s sleep, improve your mood, increase energy levels and make daily worries seem less overwhelming.
How to stay active:
- Do what you enjoy – it might be as simple as a 20-minute walk outdoors every day
- Park further from the shop/café/restaurant and walk
- Go for a swim when the weather heats up
- Take your children or pets to the playground or park
- Exercise with a friend
Speak to a psychologist
Managing a chronic illness can feel relentless and exhausting – accessing psychological support when you live with diabetes is very common and can be very helpful.
If you’ve been putting off that psychologist appointment, this is your sign.
Visit your GP to make a mental health treatment plan (if you don’t already have one) – this can help with the cost of some mental health treatments, including sessions with psychologists.
The Diabetes Victoria Clinic recently welcomed Health Psychologist Dr Emanuala Araia, who specialises in working with people living with diabetes. Book a telehealth appointment or see Dr Emanuala in person at our Carlton clinic.
Make your wellbeing a priority, book an appointment today.
