Wow…has life changed in a month! I just keep flashing back to a meme I saw on social media that read, “well that escalated quickly.” NO KIDDING!
But when I stepped back to think about this crazy worldwide pandemic that we are experiencing, I also think I’ve been through things that “escalated quickly” before.
These things have been scary and life altering, and yet, here I am, still living life to the fullest daily.
When Logan was diagnosed with T1D it felt like one of those things that went in slow motion, but at warp speed all at the same time. My husband, Andrew, is diabetic, and this was his biggest fear in having children. I remember him saying to me “I just don’t want our kids to be diabetic.”
So when he started seeing signs in Logan, I thought for sure it was him overreacting. Logan drank a lot of chocolate milk at night, so of course he would have to go to the bathroom at night. That doesn’t mean he’s diabetic. When I agreed to have Andrew check Logan’s sugar, I thought I was going to be proving my point.
I was wrong.
That’s when I felt like things were in slow motion, but in warp speed. It all of the sudden escalated quickly.
But I say all of that to say this: We’ve been through life-altering, scary things before. True, it was not on a worldwide pandemic level. But tell me someone who DIDN’T have the feeling of your life crumbling around you, just for a minute, when your child was diagnosed with diabetes?
How did you handle that life altering, scary moment in your life? Did you cry a lot? Did you yell? Did you let your “type A” personality kick in and just keep organized and systematic to keep it all together? And after you remember how you handled it, answer this question: Did it work well for you?
If it did—GREAT! Then you know what way works best for you in this situation to get through this.
If it didn’t, you get to make a choice. What will you change TODAY to help you feel more confident in how you respond to our current reality?
There is A LOT of panic in the world right now. And again, you may have had that feeling before in life. I implore you to go back to that moment and think about how it served you in that moment. More times than not, panic just builds the fear and anxiety and makes it more difficult to focus on the facts.
The facts we have, as I see them, are that we get the opportunity to slow down and spend time with our family. We get to catch up with friends in ways that we have never taken the time to do before. We get to show people how to handle fear and anxiety that we have experienced with feeling. Right now, we get to model for people the best way we can to lean into strength and conscious choices, rather than fear and panic.
Finally, let me tell you this: It is still normal, no matter how many scary things you have been through, to still have fear, grief, and a whole multitude of emotions. But you’ve been here before when it comes to the thoughts and emotions of “life is over,” “life will never be the same.”
YOU’VE GOT THIS.
Don’t push that experience away or downplay it…use it as your superpower.
About
This blog post is PART FOUR of IT TAKES A FAMILY: LIFE WITH TYPE 1, written by Lindsay Dunlap.
The Dunlap family lives with two generations of T1D, and Lindsay is graciously sharing their experience with us. If you’d like to connect with Lindsay, she’d be happy to talk about the highs and lows with you at lindsay@lindsaydunlapcoaching.com.
Learn More
Click here to learn more about the Central Ohio Diabetes Association, including support for families through programs such as Camp Hamwi.
