February 2018 Blog – Time Flies!
It’s hard to believe that it has been a month since my first blog. The day after I wrote the January 2018 piece, my oldest child developed a debilitating, mysterious condition that we are still trying to puzzle out. For the entire month of February, it has consumed my life and left me with an overwhelming to-do list. Adding to my frustration is that there is no closure or explanation to why this condition persists or why it developed in the first place. This must be how many people feel after having a family member diagnosed with diabetes. There is an overwhelming feeling that the family’s entire lifestyle needs to be adjusted RIGHT NOW. The exercise is exhausting and there is no end in sight. And yet, my world must move forward…..
During our last board meeting, a colleague shared a tip on how she deals with feeling overwhelmed. She chooses one task to complete every day. You can complete other tasks as well, but really focus on making certain that this task gets done. Today, my task is to finish this blog and write 2 announcements for the SD page of the AADE website.
I am currently reading a book by Matthew Kelly titled Perfectly Yourself. Pages 39 – 45 talk about what it means to be happy. Matthew explains that happiness is not achieved by the pursuit of happiness, but rather by doing the next right thing. Achieving that one “right thing” helps you decide what the next “right thing” should be and if you keep doing this you will be happy. It is not always easy to decide what that “right thing” is and some days you will make better choices that others. What is important is to keep focusing on making small accomplishments.
This sounds a lot like the advice we often give our patients during diabetes education sessions. While it would be great to make all the needed changes RIGHT AWAY, that is just not a practical approach for success. We see that as sound advice for our patients, but do we give ourselves and our co-workers the same advice? If you (like me) are feeling overwhelmed with all that needs to happen in your life, know that it is OK to not have it all done by Saturday. Focus on getting one thing done everyday and soon accomplishments will happen.
Julie Jensen, MS, RD, LN, CDE
SD AADE Web Administrator