11/07/2025
Stress management is a crucial part of any comprehensive diabetes care plan, and it’s most effective when practiced consistently and proactively, using a variety of strategies that support your physical, emotional, mental, relational, and overall well-being.
🛝 Move your body mindfully — Both regular physical activity and stretching can lower stress hormones like cortisol, improve mood, and help balance blood glucose levels.
💚 Notice unhelpful thoughts and challenge them — Reframing negative or unhelpful thoughts means recognizing when your inner dialogue turns critical or catastrophic and choosing a more balanced perspective.
🩸 Monitor how stress impacts blood glucose — Stress can cause blood sugar levels to rise, especially in individuals with diabetes. Using tools like a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can help you see how specific events or triggers affect your levels, making it possible to intervene early with strategies that help you stabilize blood sugar and reduce stress before it escalates.
💤 Prioritize quality sleep — Consistent, restorative sleep helps regulate stress hormones, improve mood, and support steadier blood glucose levels. Creating a regular bedtime routine and limiting screen time before bed can make it easier to fall asleep, stay asleep and awake refreshed.
☎️ Stay connected — Maintaining supportive relationships is one of the most important things you can do to prevent and manage stress and support overall well-being. Beyond offering practical help and encouragement, meaningful connection triggers the release of stress-reducing hormones, improves mood, and helps buffer the physical effects of stress by lowering blood pressure and reinforcing a sense of safety and purpose.
As Stress Awareness Week comes to a close, remember that stress management isn’t a one-time effort. The small things you do each day to care for yourself make a lasting difference.
