Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Mirror Mirror on the Wall?

How we view the world is often a reflection of our inner state of mind.

How we are feeling. What we're thinking. 

If our thoughts are clouded with darkness and despair then the world is viewed through this lense.

If our thoughts are happy and hopeful then this in turn is how we perceive our world.

I guess it could be argued that emotions=thoughts=behavior. The end result is often not the desired outcome.

Emotions are strange things. They are suppose to signal us when something is wrong or something is right. They are sometimes, subtle, sometimes intense, and sometimes just plain difficult to tag a word to describe it.

What to do with them is the tricky part. Deal with them, shelf them, deny them, write about them. What is the best approach?

I guess we are all raised, and therefore wired differently. We all deal differently with our emotions. We come from different family upbringings. Our brains are hardwired differently. We may have done counseling and downloaded software to handle our emotions differently, but often revert back to what is innately familiar to us. What we learned as a child, young adult.

How we deal with our emotions is a huge predictor of success, in my opinion. The easy route is to be a hermit, live alone, never have to deal with any emotion. Status quo, no stress....

However, a fulfilling life is one filled with love, partnership, interdependence, and a continuous drive to self reflect and improve.

The only relevance this has to diabetes, is the fact that when thoughts are dark, mood is low, diabetes control tends to be left last on the list. I suggest not putting diabetes as a last priority, however, this has been my experience. It is necessary to be mentally healthy to manage diabetes.  Just the way it goes.

The reflection in the mirror is a dark one today. Hopefully with a little Windex, and some time, reflection, understanding, the reflection will improve.

Trev

PS:  I know this is a melancholy blog. Until I get a new mirror, my posts will cease to exist.

10 comments:

Donna said...

You don't need a new mirror, Trev - maybe just re-frame it, or add some embellishment to it... and it will be as good as new! :)

I dont think your blog is melancholy... but instead your posts are well thought out and honest.

I love that, actually.

My emotions have been an issue lately... but luckily I have pulled out of my funk and decided that the best thing to do is be more positive and more creative in my decisons.

I wish the same for you. :)

Lora said...

My mittor has been pretty dirty lately also. Hang in the... I hope the fog lifts soon.

Jules said...

not melancholy, just reality! i much prefer honesty to artificiality. facades help no one. im done game playing now i deal with t1d. hang in there, the windex will help :)

Natalie said...

I've had Major Depressive Disorder since the 5th grade, and last year, I had a bad bout, and my diabetes care ended up in the cake aisle. I went into a coma and almost died. DON'T DO THAT!!!!! No matter what else you don't do or let slip, diabetes care has to come FIRST, because if you get sick, none of the other stuff is going to happen anyway. Hope you feel better soon!

Jen said...

I agree with the ladies - not melancholy at all just honest and I get it.

We are all here for you, reading and listening whenever you feel up to posting..even if you are feeling blue. Sometimes getting it all out helps to turn things around.

shirleyanneparsons said...

Trev - you should seriously consider writing a book ... you have so much perspective on life with diabetes and raising a (or 2) child(ren) w/D .... and I always enjoy the way you write your blogs. Attended the Vancouver Research Symposium last night .... I think the next 10 years will be really interesting re: trials, new products and research .... some inspiration for your mirror!

Valerie said...

Totally feeling you on this right now. I feel like I've been in way more of a funk this year, and I know a lot of that (ok, maybe ALL of it) is health-related. Good, honest post...I think it hits home for a lot of us. I think it's okay to embrace those feelings and remain in the funk for a while...as long as it's not permanent!

Unknown said...

Hey Trev... I too appreciate your honesty and no "bull shit" approach to life with "D" and to your blog. Keep up the great work AND...hows the Windex working?

Trev said...

My mirror is broken. Thank-you all for your nice words. Trev

Trev said...

Well, I am slowly crawling back from my deep dark whole. See my new blog called Diabetes Mind Game and It'll explain a lot. I have crazy glued the mirror back, so its kind of like the curvy ones at the carnival but able to see the reflection of light. Cheers.