It’s time to check our blood sugar. Your glucometer says 268.
You think: “_____________.” 
What do you think? What are you making that number mean?
That you suck? That you’re a failure? That you can’t get it together? It doesn’t matter what you do?
Do you use it as an opportunity to beat yourself up? Say terrible things to yourself that you would never say to another human being?
Pay attention to those sentences in your mind, because they are so important.
It might seem productive to give yourself a good “dressing down” for whatever the explanation is for that number. We might think it will teach us a lesson, or motivate us to get in line.
Maybe you berate yourself for the pizza you had for dinner, or the ice cream sandwich you didn’t resist the night before. Maybe you forgot to take your meds, and this is the evidence.
Saying demeaning things to ourselves only compounds our suffering. It’s sort of like punching yourself in the face.
Thinking terrible things about ourselves does not create anything good. It actually leads to a cycle of more struggling.
Consider the example of the morning fasting blood sugar of 268. If I were to see that, I might think: “Holy crap! Why are you always doing this to yourself? When are you going to learn? You are disgusting.”
Feeling disgusted and shameful about my lack of self control, I might avoid checking my blood sugars, put off scheduling my next check up, do my best to ignore that I have diabetes and just eat whatever is convenient.
Does this improve the situation? Not so much.
It leads to less self-care, less intentional food choices, similar or worsening blood sugar control. All this is just evidence that I never learn, that I self-sabotage, and I continue to disgust myself.
Let’s consider an alternative response: A blood sugar reading of 268 comes up, and I think something like, “That sucks, but you know exactly how to get back on track.” OR “It’s OK, I love you anyway.“
These thoughts make me feel confident and compassionate. I make a plan to eat a healthy, low carb lunch and dinner, avoid snacking, and take my meds.
The result is that that I get back on track, and I take care of myself and love myself.
It’s so powerful to know that you can create more suffering with your mind, or you can create something different. And you become good at what you practice doing.
Decide on purpose what you want to think about yourself and then practice that.
The number on the glucometer is a neutral fact. You get to choose what you want to think about it. And in that choice lies all your power.
Next time you get a reading on your meter that seems like bad news, tune into your thoughts. Pin down what exactly you are thinking. Write it down even, so you can have a look at it.
A coach helps you see how your thinking is working for or against you. If this concept resonates with you, and you want to learn more about how to reverse your Type 2 diabetes and reduce or eliminate your medications, visit my website at www.AFutureByDesign.com.
