Diabetes Burnout: How To Cope

Living with diabetes -- especially if you need insulin to survive -- is a never-ending job that can be life-threatening if done wrong. That constant daily stress can lead to "diabetes burnout," a type of burnout caused by the daily stress and demands of diabetes management.

People who experience diabetes burnout are mentally and physically exhausted, feeling overwhelmed by or detached from managing their condition and apathetic about their need for self-care. Diabetes burnout can last hours or days, and sometimes months or even years, but the impacts of poor blood sugar control on a person's health can be lifelong.

"This is one of those rare diseases where the person is making most of the decisions about what to do with their blood sugars. Their blood sugars are changing all the time," said Lois Felton, a registered nurse and certified diabetes care and education specialist with Franciscan Health in Munster, Ind. "There are many things that affect your blood sugar. So, it's very difficult to manage. You have control over a few of those things."

Felton explains aspects of diabetes burnout and how people living with diabetes can gain additional support in managing burnout and their diabetes.

What Is Diabetes Burnout?

Diabetes burnout a state of emotional and physical exhaustion caused by the constant stress and demands of managing diabetes. People with diabetes may experience frustrations with unpredictable blood sugar levels, leading them to at times avoid the very behaviors that might help them manage their condition.

"It's a hard job. And I think that diabetics try the best they can to do the best they can, but the toll it takes on them to have that constant decision-making," Felton said. "I read that we make 180 decisions more per day than a non-diabetic. So, it's taxing."

Living with diabetes can be like running in a marathon: Even the best-trained and most elite athletes sometimes collapse at the end of a long race, with nothing left to give.

"I feel like patients are frustrated because they're trying to do the best they can with a very difficult situation," Felton said. "Let's say that you got a job, and you didn't ask for the job, but the job's yours now. Now, you don't get any days off. You don't get vacation. You don't get paid for this job. This job is 24/7, kind of like being on-call all the time. So, you have this tremendously difficult job, and you're doing the best you can with the little bit of information or training you've gotten for the job, but not really having a full sense of what you should do or need to do. And then, people who mean well, maybe family, friends, even doctors, are criticizing you for the job you're doing when you were never really given a lot of proper tools to do it with. So, it can be very frustrating, and it can lead to diabetes burnout very often."

What Are The Symptoms Of Diabetes Burnout?

Symptoms of diabetes burnout can include:

• Feeling overwhelmed or unmotivated
• Being detached from your condition and avoiding self-care tasks like monitoring blood sugars or skipping insulin
• Unhealthy or uncontrolled eating
• Risk-taking behaviors
• Not going to medical appointments to manage diabetes care.

How Is Diabetes Burnout Different From Diabetes Distress?

Diabetes distress is the emotional response to the challenges associated with living with diabetes. These challenges can include health challenges, financial strains, social stigma and frustrations from lack of understanding the condition.

Signs of diabetes distress can include feelings of frustration, worry, fear or sadness. Diabetes distress affects one in four people living with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. Diabetes burnout sometimes occurs along with depression. Unaddressed, diabetes distress and diabetes burnout may lead to higher a1C levels, more frequent severe hypoglycemia and a lower quality of life, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Diabetes burnout is a more advanced stage that occurs when distress becomes chronic and debilitating. This burnout can be characterized by feelings of hopelessness, apathy and a decreased ability to cope with the demands of diabetes management.

Can I Prevent Diabetes Burnout?

You can help prevent diabetes burnout by practicing stress management techniques, seeking support from healthcare professionals or support groups, and prioritizing self-care.

Is Diabetes Burnout A Normal Part Of Living With Diabetes?

While burnout is common among people living with diabetes, it's important to recognize and address if you are feeling diabetes burnout. Reach out to loved ones and health providers for help maintaining overall well-being and to identify ways to simplify your routine.

"The best advice is: This is hard. You're doing a good job. And whatever issues we're having, we can work on them," Felton said. "My most important message to my patients is you are not in this fight by yourself. We're here with you. We have great doctors. We have nurses. You have a whole staff that is in your corner. So, you are not in this fight by yourself."

How Can I Cope With Diabetes Burnout?

Consider seeking therapy, practicing mindfulness, and adjusting your diabetes management plan to reduce stress.

If you're experiencing symptoms of diabetes burnout, it's essential to reach out to your healthcare provider for guidance and support.

"By helping them understand what they do have control over, what they should do when their sugar is high, let's say, or what the proper treatment of a low blood sugar is, the more they understand, the less fearful they are," Felton said.