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Stress and anxiety

Life is full of stressful situations. Having diabetes, and the day-to-day of living with an ongoing condition and managing it can also add to our mental load and feelings of stress.

While feeling stress will always be a normal part of life, there are many things you can do that can make it easier and reduce the burden.

Stress, anxiety and diabetes

Stress in life can take many forms – from managing diabetes, pressure at work or running late, to moving house. There are physical stresses too, such as catching the flu, breaking a bone or being in an accident.

A little bit of stress or some anxious feelings can be good for us. It can help us focus our mind and body when we need to concentrate and keep us alert and productive.

But experiencing stress or anxiety at high levels or for long periods can affect your mood and physical health.

Are stress and anxiety the same thing?

Most people use these words interchangeably, and the signs and symptoms of stress and anxiety are very similar.

  • Stress is our fight/flight/freeze response activating when we are in a situation our minds or bodies perceive as a threat.
  • Anxiety is one way our bodies keep us safe from danger. Anxiety disorder is when these feelings don’t go away and interfere with our daily lives.
Take stress seriously now, to stop it becoming serious later.

If ignored, stress and anxiety can turn into more serious anxiety disorders, or into diabetes distress and burnout.

Fortunately, there are practical things you can do to take care of yourself, reduce the impact, and get back to feeling like yourself again, sooner.

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Understanding stress

This section gives an overview of the some of the common signs of stress, what can cause them, and how diabetes and stress can affect each other.

Some of these signs or situations may be familiar, but do not feel discouraged if they do not apply to you exactly. The techniques and tips covered in What you can do and When to get support are still worth exploring.

What causes stress?

Stress is a very individual thing. What might be highly stressful for one person can be very easy for others. Think about how some people love public speaking, and others find it extremely nerve-wracking.

Understanding what makes you feel stressed is the first step in releasing the emotional pressure valve. Some common stressors include:

  • juggling diabetes and work pressures
  • tests, exams or training for something important
  • a major life event
  • keeping up with managing your diabetes during a change in your living situation
  • tension in a close relationship, like a partner, friend or parent
  • worry about money, or the costs of diabetes appointments and supplies
  • a change in your health, like illness or injury.
Have you experienced or witnessed a traumatic event?

Sometimes distressing memories can continue long after the event. You might feel scared or nervous, avoid things that remind you of the event, feel constantly on edge or struggle to cope with stress in everyday situations. If this kind of stress is not going away, or is impacting your day-to-day life, it is really important to seek support from a health professional like your regular GP, or you might find a professional that can help here.

What can stress feel and look like?

Stress can look like different things in different people. It can show up as changes in our mood, physical symptoms or the way we think (also called cognition). Below are some common signs that you may be experiencing stress:

  • changes in your mood like feeling impatient or irritated
  • tension or pain in your back and neck
  • increase in your blood pressure
  • tension headaches
  • feeling like your diabetes is worse or harder to manage
  • an upset, sore or nervous stomach
  • finding it hard to fall asleep, or waking up in the middle of the night
  • feeling like you take longer to recover from colds or flus
  • changes in your appetite like feeling less hungry or eating more.

How can stress and diabetes affect each other?

Living with diabetes can be stressful. Keeping to a routine, making healthy choices about food and exercise, and monitoring your blood glucose levels can be demanding.

Dealing with normal life pressures on top of diabetes can cause problems, because stress causes your body to release cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can increase your blood glucose levels, and make you lose sleep. Not sleeping enough can also tell your body to release even more cortisol, which can raise your blood glucose levels even further, creating a very annoying and unfair cycle of stress. This is why recognising the signs, and having some tools to manage stress is so crucial.

Understanding anxiety

Anxiety is feeling worried or fearful about something bad happening. Usually, this is a normal response to a real threat, for example having a hypo (hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar).

Anxiety becomes a serious problem (a mental health condition, known as an ‘anxiety disorder’) when these feelings last for at least two weeks and have a negative impact on your life. It can be very disruptive to your social life, work or relationships, and make living with diabetes more difficult than it should be.

Treatment can help you feel better and more like yourself. You can find some useful resources in the When to get support section.

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What causes anxiety and who can get it?

Anxiety disorder is the most common mental health condition in Australia, with about 1 in 4 people experiencing it at some point in their lives. Anxiety disorder can refer to several disorders, including generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorders, social anxiety disorders or phobias.

There is no clear cause for anxiety disorder. In fact, feeling anxious every so often is a normal part of life. But sometimes our bodies and minds develop an intense reaction to certain situations that are difficult to explain or control.

If your feelings of fear or worry are centred around a specific thing like needles, developing complications or having a hypo, you may like to visit the  Worries and fears page for more specific advice.

What can anxiety feel and look like?

Anxiety, like stress, affects both our minds and our bodies. Many of the symptoms of anxiety are shared with feelings of stress. The key is in the intensity and length.

If these symptoms go on for more than a few weeks or you feel they are having an impact on your life, it is time to reach out for some extra support.

Additional signs of anxiety
  • Feeling very worried or anxious most of the time
  • Feeling panicky or finding it difficult to calm down
  • Feeling unable to control your thoughts or worries
  • Feeling tired easily
  • Feeling like you can’t concentrate or your mind is going blank
  • Feeling certain something bad is going to happen
  • Feeling unsettled, ‘keyed up’ or on edge.

Keep in mind that some people may have different symptoms. This list is not designed to give you a diagnosis. You can use this as a guide, but only a trained health professional can properly diagnose an anxiety disorder.

What you can do

Below you will find some practical tips and techniques that may be helpful to manage any stress or anxiety you are feeling. You might need to try a few different things to find what works best for you.

It’s a good idea to practice these exercises when you are feeling calm. This way they will be easier to use when you do feel stressed or anxious.

Learning to use your breathing

A very effective way of calming our nervous systems is to breathe deeply in a rhythm or pattern.

Try a digital program or tool

When to get support

If your stress and anxiety become overwhelming, are stopping you from effectively taking care of your diabetes, or you would just like some extra help to cope, there are a range of support services available to you.

As a starting point you might like to explore free resources available through Beyond Blue, the Black Dog Institute or any of the other organisations listed in the support services page. Head to Health (1800 595 212) is a free service which can also help you navigate your options and find which local services and supports might be right for you.

Counsellors, psychologists or other mental health professionals may also be a good option. You do not need to be at a ‘breaking point’ or very unwell to see them – they can help you develop skills and tools proactively to address things before they become a problem. And, if you are eligible, your GP can help you access 10 Medicare-subsidised sessions per year through a mental health plan.

What if I need help right now?

Free 24/7 crisis counselling is offered through Lifeline (13 11 14) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636).

13YARN (13 92 76) also offers a free, confidential and culturally safe helpline where you can yarn with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter.

If you feel unsafe, you’re worried about someone else’s immediate safety, or you feel a life is in danger call 000.

Call our helpline 1800 637 700