Wow. Has it truly been since December that I blogged??? Well I could promise to get better about things, but anyone who is a parent knows life gets chaotic at times.
So today's blog post is all about survival. Surviving life as a parent day by day. Surviving as a T1D parent day by day. Let's face it, although T1D controls most of my life, whether you have a small child with it, a teenager, you yourself face it, or you are just another parent along for the crazy ride, I think most people can relate to the struggles a parent faces. Albeit, mine are a tad different then the average stay at home mama. But everyone has their own struggles, right? So what are YOU doing to help yourself stay sane?
We are all guilty of not taking care of ourselves from time to time. We are sleep deprived, work too much, live off coffee & humorous mommy blogs to get us by.... oh c'mon I am not the only one who has certain blogs she follows for daily humor to keep my mind off things!
I am here to let you all know, I survived a 9 day vacation with 3 months worth of diabetes supplies, a 15 hour drive to & from our destination, driving in what I can only call a slushy freeze storm, my little toddler with T1D stressing like crazy, plus my older step-daughters, AND lucky me, my sanity is STILL in tact. See. Survival. How did I do it?? Ok, so I have this amazing thing called a husband who knows when I have hit my limit & takes over.
So my list for survival:
#1: Support system! This doesn't have to be a significant other, it can be a friend, family, whatever works. For me, I am lucky enough to have a husband who knows when I have hit my limit & just can't do anymore. He takes over. Now when he is at work, & I call him hysterical at midnight because I am tired & Izzy's blood sugar isn't cooperating & I am freaked out, not much he can do other than tell me "it'll all be ok!" But we are a team. I am lucky to have him, & I know it. Even if he drives me NUTS at times.
#2: Me time! We are all guilty of forgetting to take care of ourselves. Find a little time in the day, whether it's watching tv, a pedicure, eating an actual *gasp* meal, or just sitting on your butt to stare into space for 20 minutes. Do it! No excuses! Kids eventually go to bed & you can take a few minutes of quiet to do something for you.
#3: EAT! Right after Izzy was diagnosed, if I hadn't had friends & family bringing over meals & MAKING me eat, I would've gone days without an actual meal. It's called malnutrition, & although the weight loss was nice when I forgot to eat or stressed too much to eat, it wasn't healthy. On the same note, beware of the dreaded binge eating aka stress eating. Like last night, sleep deprived, stressed, I made & managed to eat delicious lemon bars. Mmmm.... BUT today I will have a salad, & I won't go home to eat the ENTIRE pan that is sitting in our fridge later. So although I recommend eating, also knowing the limits & eating well balanced is super important.
#4: Therapy. I will admit been to a therapist, worked through issues, probably need to go back. It doesn't have to be a traditional setting, but having someone to vent to is important to keeping sanity in tact.
#5: Make a list, check it twice! I am the queen of to-do lists. They are on my phone, ipad, post it's, fridge. I love the feeling of scratching something off the list, makes me feel like I actually got something accomplished. Plus, it keeps me on task & organized.
There are so many more things I do to survive. I am also ALWAYS in need of new ways to keep organized. One of the things I have found is that my OCD nature does come in handy as a parent, but sometimes I can go overboard & need to loosen up a tad.
Conclusion: Do what you have to do to make it. & don't be alone in the struggles as a parent, T1D mama, or just an adult (because I know my 27 year old sister is reading this right now - yes these same tips do apply to you!). Not everything I suggest or say will help someone, but it works for us. It helps me get through. I am fortunate enough that I haven't gone totally insane yet, & I chalk that up to a win.
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