"I feel so guilty, I cheated on my diet." Has the way that you take care of your diabetes ever caused you to feel guilty? If so, you are not alone. It can seem as if others, including your health care providers, expect you to do too much or make too many changes.
Most of us feel guilty when we don't meet expectations that we have set for ourselves or that others set for us. In diabetes, this means that you may try to be perfect in your efforts to meet your goals, please others and have normal blood sugar tests. The fact is that you can't be perfect. And, even if you did everything right, your blood sugars would probably not always be perfect.
The treatments that we have, while better than ever, just don't keep your blood sugar in the normal range like your body used to do for you. The important thing is to be "good enough" to keep your blood sugars where you want them to be. Its what you do most of the time that counts.
It can help with the guilty feelings if you eliminate words such as "cheating" or "being bad" from your thinking. The way that you care for your diabetes is your choice - it isn't up to your doctor, dietitian, educator or family members. You are the one that is helped or harmed by the decisions that you make. Instead of calling it "cheating," call it what it is - a choice. You have both the right and responsibility to make those choices. You also get to decide if that was the best decision for you at that time.
Feeling guilty isn't helpful. It usually just makes you feel badly, which can make it harder to take care of yourself, rather than easier. The next time you are feeling guilty ask yourself:
- Why did I make the decision that I did?
- Did I do what I really wanted to do?
- Would I make the same choice again?
If not, what might I do differently next time to avoid the situation or handle it differently?
You may decide that you made the right choice for you, even though others might not agree. You may decide that the outcome wasn't really worth the benefit and decide to do things differently next time. Remember, any time you learn something about yourself can be a positive experience.
