The emotional side of Pre-diabetes: Moving through the worry and shame, into finding your motivation

Welcome to the first of my blogs sharing with you my own pre-diabetes and diabetes experience and what I have experienced over the last 5 years.

I remember this period of my diabetes journey very well. If you are newly diagnosed with pre-diabetes, Doctor Google is never your friend! Look up Pre-diabetes and you will find large amounts of content to feed your anxiety. Worry, shame, embarrassment, uncertainty – all of these are very real and can hold you back from finding your personal motivation to make positive changes.

The worry of not yet understanding your diagnosis is enhanced by the inevitable social media focus on negative stories far more than successes. Add into this the challenge of getting access to your GP or Diabetic Specialist Nurse and it may all be feeding into a sense of helplessness and overwhelm. I asked one of the support groups I belong to what emotions their pre-diabetes gave them for free and they were very keen to share. “It’s frustrating, overwhelming, constantly on my mind and takes a toll on my mental health every day as there is no reprieve.”

Perhaps there is also some shame. For me, I felt angry. How could i be in this position as I believed I was fit and healthy. Therefore, I must have done this to myself, somehow it was my fault? I didn’t understand ‘how’ I had done this to myself, but it didn’t stop me thinking that I had. What will people think of me if I tell them? “I feel different, and people will feel sorry for me…will I have to limit my social circle now?”

Diabetes Distress is real and if this is you, then add into the mix being given lots of well-meaning advice and this all doesn’t necessarily help you find your own motivation.

I wasn’t alone and you are not alone. The charity DiabetesUK published that in 2023-2024 an estimated 6.3 million people are at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the UK based on blood sugar levels. They estimate that 1.3 million people are currently living with type 2 diabetes but are yet to be diagnosed. This means an estimated 12.1 million adults in the UK are living with diabetes or prediabetes.

Most importantly DiabetesUK shared that with the right support up to 50% of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed. You are not alone, and you can find your ‘something’ to make positive changes.

So where might you start and how might you find your own motivation to be in that 50%? Research has consistently shown that combined lifestyle changes – including diet, physical activity and sustained weight loss – can be effective in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes by about 50%. Knowing the research is step one but it needs to be followed by you taking steps to make the changes necessary.

Being at risk doesn’t mean you will definitely develop type 2 diabetes. So, my view is that now is the right time to find the motivation to start making positive changes to reduce your own risk. “None of this is easy but it is worth the small changes to have better health.”

What motivates each of us is very different. For me it was both the shame I felt in being diagnosed and continuously having people tell me “But you don’t look like you have diabetes”, and the anger that I had something I thought I would never get.

Be honest with yourself, think about which areas you could make changes to; your diet, how much you move, your weight – and set yourself a manageable goal. Start small, gain confidence, reward yourself for your progress. A little progress each day really does add up to big results.

I swapped out beige and white carbs for their healthier alternatives (sweet potatoes, brown rice, non-wheat pasta and spaghetti, bread which was as brown and seedy as possible). I was met with resistance from my kids, who weren’t so happy with the swaps, but I persevered. You do get used to the earthier taste and it is one of the most beneficial and easier food swaps.

I also started the Couch to 5k Programme. Running was a habit that stuck and a challenge my whole family took on. A few years later, at the age of 55, I ran my first marathon and number 4 is coming up this September.

There are some great sources of information, support and ideas across three of the UK diabetes charities. There is no judgement, only support and you can browse at your own pace, join their forums, use their knowledgeable advisors to inspire you to start making those changes.

DiabetesUK – https://www.diabetes.org.uk/
InDependent Diabetes Trust – https://www.iddt.org/
Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation – https://www.drwf.org.uk/

Jo Sellwood

Author

Let me introduce myself as I start sharing my diabetes connected thoughts via a set of blogs for Tesu Health.
I’m a relatively newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic if you’d say that 5 years is newly diagnosed. To me it still feels like I am learning about diabetes, how to manage my own diabetes and how the medical and research community are moving forward to help us all.
My diagnosis was only confirmed after I was unwell with a completely unrelated condition. It was a surprise as I thought I was fit and healthy. A vegan marathon runner probably isn’t the first person you’d expect to have T2.
Over the last 5 years I’ve moved through different medication regimes and am currently injecting slow acting insulin once a day. For me, this works well in conjunction with my (self-funded) Continuous Glucose Monitor.
As a way of better understanding diabetes and my own lived experience, I volunteer with DiabetesUK. I am fortunate to be an Expert by Experience as part of their Diabetes Research Steering Group which is planning the next research into the causes of diabetes.
I am a huge advocate of enabling people living with diabetes to have the knowledge, skills and support to take action and thrive.
I hope you enjoy reading my blogs. You can read more through my LinkedIn posts.