5 Language Swaps and Mindset Shifts to Help You Feel Empowered with Diabetes

Despite any stigma and shame you may feel around your diabetes diagnosis, you have the power to shift your mindset.

When I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2017, all I really knew about the disease was the stigma, shame, and jokes made at the community’s expense. I had a distorted view of what was happening in my body and why — and I assumed it was all my fault.

After my diagnosis, I took a month off social media to learn how this disease impacted my body, separating myself from the plethora of information available on the internet and in various communities found online.

Early on in my journey of learning how to manage diabetes, a reporter asked if she could interview me about my adventures in the wilderness living with a chronic illness. The article included insights into my life with type 2 diabetes and the life of another outdoor enthusiast with type 1. The comments section was mostly positive, but it didn’t take long for someone to start comparing the types of diabetes, making assumptions about how we should be living, and — perhaps the most damaging — telling me that my diabetes wasn’t “real” diabetes.

Can you relate? Have you found yourself internalizing this messaging, punishing yourself for living with diabetes?

As much as I’ve tried to work through this over the past 4 years, I still find myself battling these negative inner critics. And while the chatter still occurs occasionally, a few language swaps and mindset shifts have empowered me to recognize those voices as false and provide me with the tools necessary to work through whatever is coming up for me.

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SWAP: Out with diets, in with nutrition plans

One of the first language swaps I implemented for myself was to stop talking about diets, and instead, start building a nutrition plan that would contribute to positive health outcomes.

According to the Research and Markets 2022 report, the weight loss industry was estimated to be worth $72.6 billion dollars in 2021. There are entire industries that profit from our insecurities and poor health, and I didn’t want to be part of that.

By definition, diets are restrictive. And if they worked, they would have worked by now.

When we focus on building a nutrition plan, we are already being mindful of what we’re eating, and we’re framing it in a way that is empowering versus restrictive. A nutrition plan is rooted in the items that contribute positively to your blood sugar numbers, emotional well-being, how you feel in and about your body, and your mental health.

SWAP: Out with exercise, in with movement

Similarly, we need to change how we talk about physical fitness. Unless you’re naturally active and enjoy moving your body in ways that contribute to positive health outcomes, chances are a recommendation for at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 days per week doesn’t sound like a good time.

When we stop talking about exercise and the shame and stigma that can come with trying to start a new fitness routine, and we start focusing on simply moving our bodies, the world of physical movement can feel more welcoming.

When I think about exercise, I visualize a gym with loud music, fluorescent lights, bodybuilders grunting and dropping weights, and recycled air. It feels intimidating, overwhelming, and frankly, like a fitness-inspired prison.

When I stopped thinking about it as exercise and opened the door to movement, suddenly all the activities that I actually enjoy doing “counted” toward my goals. Hiking is my favorite form of movement because it gets my body moving, helps me clear my mind, and always leaves me feeling inspired.

I’ve never gone on a hike and returned home to feel dissatisfied or embarrassed. The trees aren’t judging my outfit or pace. They’re just out there, standing tall, making the air cleaner to breathe, and serving as a home to whatever birds are local to the area.

Movement can be anything — gardening, yoga, a walk around the neighborhood, rock climbing, or swimming.

And while ultimately we’re just swapping the word we use, movement feels a lot more fun than exercise. Developing a practice around movement can help us build self-trust and confidence.

SHIFT: Expand your definition of what medicine is

When I was first diagnosed, my doctor prescribed metformin. If I had any say about my journey with diabetes, I didn’t want to be stuck taking medication for the rest of my life.

But more than whether we’re prescribed medications to help us manage our conditions, it’s important that we expand our definition of what medicine is to empower us to take advantage of all the resources available to us.

So I’ve expanded my definition of what medicine is to me. It now includes supplements, herbs, the food I eat, and even rest. When I stopped dieting and started building a nutrition plan, I was able to get clear on what foods were helping me heal my body from the inside out.

When my doctor decided that I no longer needed to take metformin, I spoke with a holistic practitioner who introduced me to supplements, vitamins, and foods that would help my body find balance as it healed itself. When I realized that I could take all the supplements in the world and eat in alignment with my nutrition plan, but none of it mattered if I wasn’t rested, I added rest to the list of things that are medicine.

SHIFT: ‘I get to’ instead of ‘I have to’

I first heard this mindset shift from Kristi Nelson, author of “Wake Up Grateful: The Transformative Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted.” It gave language to something I had been doing in practice for years.

Instead of saying “I have to go to the doctor today,” shift that phrasing to “I get to go to the doctor today.”

When we shift from “have” to “get,” we create space to find gratitude in the fact that we have access to healthcare and that we’re able to see a doctor to support our journey to health.

Instead of saying “I have to cut out carbs,” you could say “I get to explore what foods make me feel energized and stay within range.”

SHIFT: I didn’t do this to myself, but it is my responsibility to manage it

Going back to the stigma and shame that surrounds diabetes diagnoses, let me be perfectly clear: You didn’t do this to yourself. This is something I’ve grappled with in the years since my diagnosis.

I’m a curious person and I wanted to know why this happened to me. In my self-reflection practice, I was able to identify the behaviors that likely helped contribute to my diagnosis (eating and drinking for comfort and to avoid feeling my emotions) and what contributed to the development of those behaviors (unresolved trauma from a sexual assault I survived in college).

But even still, I didn’t ask for diabetes. This isn’t something I ordered on the menu of life when I was born.

When we stop judging ourselves for the things that have happened to us and the decisions we’ve made and start strengthening our empathy muscles, it becomes more natural for us to extend the same grace to others around us. I truly believe that is the only way we will ever make significant change within our community and outside of it in order to break down these stigmas and relieve ourselves of the shame attached to them.

We didn’t ask for these diagnoses, but once we have the awareness of what is happening in our bodies, it is our responsibility to manage it. And by implementing the swaps and shifts shared above, that journey can be a lot more enjoyable.