Reframe Diabetes

The 2023 Diabetes Mental Health Conference () speaker lineup is officially here, and it is🔥🔥🔥!

While the conference is in its second year, this is the first and only conference to focus entirely on the intersection of diabetes and mental health. We won’t be discussing diet plans or the math of carb counting. Instead, licensed mental health professionals will cover topics related to the psychological and emotional realities of life with diabetes. Diabetes is more than a physical condition.

Join us virtually on May 5th & 6th! Early bird tickets are still on sale at $35 for general admission and $75 for providers seeking CEU credit.

🎟️ Registration link in bio.

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The Diabetes + Mental Health Conference will be back for a second time in 2023! Join us virtually on May 5-6, 2023 to learn more about the intersection of diabetes and mental health. Early bird tickets are in sale now!

This event brings together a cross-section of patients living with diabetes, caregivers, medical and mental health professionals. CEUs are available for healthcare professionals! 🎉

Visit dmhconference.vfairs.com or the bio link for more info.

For those attending the Diabetes and Mental Health Conference this weekend, you can log in for the conference by visiting our webpage at https://dmhconference.vfairs.com, clicking “LOGIN” and entering the email you used to register. Join the Conference Facebook group for more updates: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dmhconference/?ref=share

www.dmhconference.vfairs.com

The virtual Diabetes + Mental Health Conference is THIS WEEKEND! This Conference is for people living with ALL types of diabetes, diabetes professionals, and caregivers of people living with diabetes. There's still time to get your ticket! (Available to attend live or purchase the recording). Find the agenda and registration info at the link below.

Diabetes + Mental Health Conference The Diabetes + Mental Health Conference is a virtual event focused on the intersection of diabetes management and mental health. This event brings together a cross-section of patients living with all types of diabetes, caregivers, medical professionals working with PWDs, and mental health profession...

Trauma is a *normal* response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms someone's ability to cope. It shifts the nervous system and causes feelings of helplessness while diminishing someone’s sense of self. This nervous system shift explains why people don’t just “get over” trauma. Instead, it needs intentional treatment to help someone to heal through it.

Medical trauma is when trauma occurs in response to pain, injury, serious illness, medical procedures, and/or invasive or frightening treatment experiences. It’s rarely discussed, but may occur in response to a single or multiple medical events.

Diabetes involves constant effective management in order for someone to survive. The need - and messaging around needing - to be “on” all the time can feed anxiety and create hypervigilance, an elevated state of alertness and sensitivity to potential threat.

In addition to blood sugar monitoring, it’s not uncommon for diabetes to also include financial hardship, public shaming, medical dismissiveness, inaccessibility to medication, lack of information, and feelings of helplessness.

It’s important to understand that not everyone who experiences a seemingly traumatic situation will become traumatized. Trauma can also exist without developing into PTSD. Trauma is highly individualized and takes into account multiple factors.

*This post is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or imply any medical or psychological issues. If you resonate with certain information in this post, please discuss it with a licensed mental health professional.

You may also contact .ny at [email protected] for more information about our Intensive programs for medical trauma.

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Registration for the virtual Diabetes + Mental Health Conference is now LIVE! This 1.5-day event has a line-up of speakers that include licensed mental health professionals, diabetes professionals, and people living with diabetes. We have tracks for people with diabetes and caregivers/providers. Click the link for more info. The full agenda will be released soon!

Diabetes + Mental Health Conference The Diabetes + Mental Health conference is a day-and-a-half virtual event focusing on the intersection of mental health and diabetes.

If you aren’t following our Diabetes + Mental Health conference IG page yet, let me give you a reason to start.

Meet our conference keynote, Jiggy Yoon ()! A motivational speaker and performance coach, Jiggy will kick off our virtual conference weekend on Friday, May 20th and lead a fireside chat🔥 for attendees that evening.

Jiggy was diagnosed with T1D while attending college at Penn State. Now a passionate advocate for mental health, burnout prevention, and self-compassion, she has endured a number of her own personal challenges including depression, suicidal ideation and self harm.

As a therapist who focuses on trauma healing and inner work, I was immediately drawn to Jiggy’s “Vulnerability is dope” movement. So many of my clients (those with diabetes and without it) struggle to sit in vulnerability. But, as Jiggy notes, our brains are wired to process and experience emotions. So, to tell each other to "stop being so emotional" or to "stop being so sensitive" is to tell each other to stop being human. (🙌🏼👏🏼🙌🏼👏🏼)

Jiggy was born in Seoul, South Korea and currently lives in Los Angeles, CA. As her official bio states, she’s “the only Korean, le***an, hip-hop dancing and rapping Type 1 Diabetic girl-who-lifts with tattoos, piercings, who speaks so boldly or vulnerability.”

We can’t wait to have her kick off the FIRST-EVER conference focused solely on diabetes and mental health. Follow for more updates. Or, click my bio link to be notified about registration - which opens on March 7th!

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It is *okay* if you need to break up with your endocrinologist or therapist. At the end of the day, you are the one living with diabetes, and if your diabetes goals and needs are not being met, this is your permission to find an endocrinologist or therapist who will work with you to meet those goals and needs. The most important thing is that you find a provider you are comfortable with and one you can trust in!

Some red flags to be aware of:

- Your provider pushes their own agenda
- Your provider isn't receptive to your concerns
- You do not feel comfortable with your provider
- Your provider does not carry a holistic view of diabetes
- Your provider takes a condescending or judgmental approach

If you've said "yes" to any of these, it might be time to find another provider. If you don't know where to start, check out some of the latest blog posts on how to find an endocrinologist or therapist that best serves you. It's not always easy finding a provider, and if that's you, there are some tips on how to build and improve the relationship with your current provider.

All in all, remember this: it's your health, and the most important thing is that you find a provider that you can confide and trust in - one that makes YOU feel comfortable and one that keeps YOUR goals and needs in mind. You do not have to feel ashamed for speaking up. You do not have to feel ashamed for leaving your current provider. You do not have to feel ashamed for advocating for yourself, your health, or your needs.

It's self-advocacy at its finest, and that's something to be proud of!
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MODYDiabetes

While National Diabetes Awareness Month 2021 is over, is still living strong. Today’s story comes from 9-year-old Mahi who is repping her , “I am greater than my highs and lows” t-shirt and medical ID bracelet.

“When I had to check my blood sugar at school, it made me very nervous. I would look for places to hide and check BG. In fact, even while carrying the glucometer to the washroom I would try to hide it in my pockets. Until one day while I was checking my sugar in class, while all my classmates were out for lunch, one of my friends walked in. She saw me check my sugar and was completely in awe. She said, "You are so bold, WOW!"
It was that moment something within me changed. It occurred to me that I am the "chosen one". My condition is unique and I am different from all other classmates, but not in a bad way, in a special way, that makes me stronger and more attractive for them.
Since then I never hide about Diabetes. In fact, now I am on CGM & Omnipod and I flaunt my devices like a Cyborg 💙”

aims to reduce diabetes shame and guilt by collectively using our voices and sharing our stories. If you have a story or photo to share, visit our website (reframediabetes.com) and complete our submission form.
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When we keep our diabetes out of hiding, we gain the opportunity to have diabetes *show* us a few things about ourselves. ’ decision to show her diabetes eventually led her to complete the NYC earlier this [Diabetes Awareness] month!

“Diabetes has taught me a lot about myself and what I am capable of. I am so grateful to have my insulin pump and CGM because they help keep me alive everyday. I choose to show my diabetes because my diabetes is a part of me that I’m proud of every day. I’m proud of my strength, my resilience, and my determination to never quit. I share because I never know who might hear my story and feel inspired to share theirs too”
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