Emotional health resources

A diagnosis of diabetes can come as a shock. First reactions may be disbelief, sadness, anger or self-blame. Usually, these feelings ease after a while and diabetes becomes part of life.

Caring for a family member or friend who has diabetes can be rewarding but also challenging. You may feel worried, frustrated or confused about how to best support the person in managing their diabetes.

Many people with type 2 diabetes have concerns or feel anxious about starting insulin. There are many things you can do to adjust to this new way of managing your diabetes.

Anxiety is often a healthy response to a perceived threat. For most people, anxious feelings go away after the threat has passed. There are many things you can do to reduce your anxiety.

Everyone feels down or sad from time to time. For most people, these feelings do not last long. There are many things you can do to overcome your feelings of depression.

Living with diabetes places a lot of focus on food, weight and body image. Sometimes, this can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food, disordered eating or, possibly an eating disorder.

Diabetes health care may have changed because of COVID-19. You may feel worried about accessing diabetes care and this is understandable.

Diabetes distress is the emotional burden of living with and managing diabetes. Diabetes distress becomes a serious problem when these emotions start to affect daily life, including diabetes management.

People with diabetes often worry or become fearful about hypos. There are many things you can do to reduce the risk of hypos and ease your fears.

If you find yourself worrying, it might help to focus on the things that you can control in your life.

NDSS programs are a great way to connect with others living with diabetes. These programs help you learn to live well with diabetes.

Connecting with other people who have diabetes is an effective means of accessing peer support. Sharing your experiences with others can help you feel less alone.

Find a face-to-face or online peer support groups. Perhaps you would like to read shared stories from people with similar experiences.

This quick guide answers common questions about psychologist support.

Most people with diabetes manage well most of the time. But it is okay to acknowledge if you are struggling. Many people benefit from specialist emotional support from a psychologist.