September 29, 2025
Welcome to Julia’s Corner! To find out more about the author, check out the About Me section here on my website!
As many of you know, I am type one diabetic. Today, I will be talking about how I manage it, how it affects me on a day-to-day basis, and some ground rules I like to follow for myself regarding my health.
diving in – how t1d shaped my childhood
I was diagnosed when I was five years old, so for most of my childhood I have been learning the do’s and don’ts surrounding type one.
Honestly, type one didn’t affect TOO much, I had a wonderful pediatric endocrinologist who told my parents not to change my diet and to just learn how to manage my blood sugars instead. I am so grateful she did that, because it definitely helped me feel a little more normal, but it could have been beneficial to learn stricter healthy eating habits for long-term diet planning, but I wouldn’t have traded that part of my experience for anything. I am grateful that my parents listened to my doctor, because it was fun growing up still being allowed cake on birthdays, still getting to eat all of the same things my siblings ate, and if we did have any rules for me surrounding food, they would be rules everyone had to follow. My parents had a rule that we weren’t allowed straight sugar candy, only chocolate. I know part of that definitely had to do with my blood sugars, but they implemented it for all of my siblings too, so that made me feel less out of place at home.
I think I just notice little things now about my personality that were shaped by type one. I have never really let type one bring me down mentally, and I think it’s because I’ve dealt with it from such a young age, it’s just my normal. But every now and then, if I’ve had a bad blood sugar day or just feel a little more groggy from chasing highs and lows all night, it really can weigh down on me.
Something a lot of parents and people in general don’t know is that type one diabetics are 2.55 times more likely to have mood swings, depression, and mood disorders. I’m grateful my mom knew this when I was growing up because boy was I a handful. Whenever I was getting in a fight with one of my siblings, if my mom knew my blood sugar wasn’t perfect or had been crazy that day, she always told them to lay off. I’m sure there were a lot of conversations like that in which I wasn’t present for as well.
how type one affects mental health
There are many ways t1d can affect mental health, the main things being anxiety, burnout, self esteem, cognitive effects, and relationship & friendship struggles.
Anxiety and hyper vigilance is caused by blood sugar worries, like worrying if I do a certain thing whether my blood sugar will go high or low, and worrying about the long term complications of those highs and lows. In my personal experience, the worst anxiety comes from waking up a night to check my blood sugar and trying to get it under control while half asleep. Unfortunately I have in the past given too much insulin while half asleep and been woken up by my father, granola bar in hand, saving the day (well, night I guess).
Feelings of depression and burnout come mainly from emotional exhaustion (feeling like I’m constantly chasing my tail), hopelessness about the never ending cycle, and withdrawal, which usually happens when I skip self-care tasks to just hurry and get in bed due to my exhaustion.
My personal self-esteem struggles stem from at such a young age feeling like I’m different from everyone. I struggle a lot with the whole “pressure to be perfect” idea, because when my blood sugars aren’t perfect I generally feel it for at least a day or two after. Whenever my blood sugars go crazy, it sort of creates this feeling of failure.
Some cognitive effects I’ve dealt with have been mood swings, concentration issues (my eyes do this thing where there are white spots where I’m trying to read when my blood sugar is low, so I literally cannot read), and the chronic stress load of always watching very little thing about my health.
The relationship & friendship strained is felt mores when I don’t have the energy to do something I know someone wants to do. Sometimes it can feel like nobody really knows the feeling of burnout and exhaustion like I do, and so it can feel quite lonely sometimes. I’ve also read that kids diagnosed young often struggle between wanting freedom and needing help, and I’ve never felt more seen LOL.
On the flip side, type one has brought me some wonderful resilience and strength. I’ve learned stronger coping skills, problem-solving, an intense level of empathy, and self-discipline. I’ve experienced accelerated emotional intelligence, which I am very glad about.
How I manage
Although I wish there was, there’s no diabetes handbook, but I’ll give you guys some tips that have worked for me.
- I only drink diet soda or zero sugar- I’ve noticed that it’s helped me with not having such crazy blood sugar swings
- Eat protein first thing- even if it’s just a few grams, protein helps regulate blood sugar levels throughout the day (it’s also good to eat with sugar when trying to raise your blood sugar)
- Extra sleep after a hard blood sugar day- I always like to go to bed early when my blood sugars have been no so great, it tends to help reduce the effects of my symptoms for the following days
- LOTSSS of water!! When your blood sugar is high especially!
Type one has taught me so much, the important thing is to never let it take anything from you. Build a supportive community and keep people around who help you prioritize your rest, and you will thrive.
song of the day
Made From The Dirt – Kassi Ashton
This song reminds me of who I am on days when I feel tired and burnt out. I absolutely love this song and hope you do too!
On My Way To You – Cody Johnson
This song is less of a love letter to someone else, and moreso a love letter to myself. It reminds me that even through all of the hard stuff, I always come out better on the other side.
Julia Boling
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