Have you ever noticed that dealing with diabetes gets much simpler if you are feeling happy? It is just an easier thing to do when your spirits are up. It is tempting to believe that negativity and negative feelings have nothing to do with the condition or that, if they do, they can pushed to the side whenever necessary – but of course, this is not the case.
It can mean a great deal for diabetes sufferers to discover the work of somebody ground breaking like David Reynolds Ph.D. In fact, his primary work, ‘Pools of Lodging for the Moon’ outlines a series of seven actions and behaviors which lead to negative emotions. So, if you are ever struggling with sadness or negativity, you are able to recognize that you have been indulging in one of these seven actions.
The work of David Reynolds has a lot to teach those with diabetes. It demonstrates that negative emotions are not worthless. They exist for a reason, just as positive ones, do and they cannot be pushed to the side, disregarded or ignored. Oftentimes, they cannot be changed, but the way in which we react and respond to them absolutely can.
The list outlined below describes seven behaviors which need to be altered if you want to live a happier and more fulfilled life and learn how to take care of your diabetes with the minimum amount of effort.
Useless Comparisons
If you invest a lot of time on thinking about how something ‘should’ be, you are going to make yourself fairly unhappy. For example, when it comes to diabetes, you might be tempted to compare yourself to a fellow sufferer – ‘I should be as committed to testing my blood sugar as Steve is. I am not good enough at this.’ Yet, this is just a behavior which prolongs negative emotions. Whilst nothing useful comes of hiding from change, it is much healthier to accept the things that you need to get better at and find out a way to do this.
Battling the Truth
The bottom line is that reality cannot be manipulated – it just is. If you spend your whole life wishing you could change the unchangeable (‘I wish I had paler skin.’), you will make yourself feel terrible. You probably resent having diabetes and that is normal too, but it is a waste of time to keep reminding yourself of the fact.
Self Focus
If a person is too focused on themselves, they risk leading an empty and unfulfilled life. For instance, if a friends cancels on dinner plans for the second time in a row, an overly self-focused person might worry that they were the real reason. In reality, the friend might be struggling with all manner of their own issues. It is almost egotistical to assume that you are at the center of every drama, so do not take life so personally.
Unhealthy Living
It is important to lead a healthy lifestyle, with a good diet and plenty of sleep and exercise. Without these things, the brain cannot function at its highest capacity. If you lead a chaotic or unhealthy lifestyle, you can only expect it to result in a similarly chaotic mind. The mind and the body are a cohesive unit and you need to keep them ticking over smoothly.
Motivated Living
Your personal ambitions and objectives are something to move towards and to pool your focus on – manage this and you will not be delayed or interrupted by worry or anxiety. You must understand that, whilst bad things will happen sometimes, they are just another aspect of life.
Negative Attitude
If you constantly spend time thinking in ‘I can’t,’ ‘I will not.’ ‘I do not want to,’ and ‘I do not like this’ sentiments, you will inevitably begin to feel listless and dejected. So, try to stay away from things which make you feel negative. For example, if watching the news tends to leave you feeling sad or frustrated, try to cut down on how much you watch.
No Appreciation
This is an idea which scores of high profile authors (Deepak Chopra and Tony Robbins among them) have written about in their books. It is something which Dennis Reynolds is keen to make clear too – there is much to be grateful for and it is important not to disregard this fact. Think about where you are right now. You are probably at home. You are probably sitting in a comfortable house, on nice furniture, with good food in the fridge, and more running water and electric than you can shake a stick at. You might also have diabetes, but the good stuff definitely outweighs the bad here.
If you do have diabetes, it makes sense to be grateful for your medication. If it were not here, you might be extremely sick or even dead, so there is so much to be thankful for.
