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Mental health and physical health are deeply connected. Your thoughts, emotions, and body all affect one another. Feeling overwhelmed, sad, or anxious doesn’t just affect your mood—it can affect your body too. Stress and negative emotions often do the following:

• Make it harder to eat well, be active, or take medications
• Disrupt your sleep and energy levels
• Increase blood sugar through the release of cortisol and adrenaline

Your thoughts also shape how you feel. If you often think “I’m failing at this,” you may feel more discouraged and less likely to keep going. But if you think, “I’m having a tough day, but I can try again tomorrow,” you’re more likely to move forward with self-care (American Diabetes Association, 2023).

Mental Health and Diabetes: Why It Matters

Living with type 2 diabetes can be overwhelming. Between monitoring blood glucose, sticking to routines, taking medications, and juggling daily life—the mental toll is real. Emotional wellness is not just a “nice to have,” it’s a core part of managing diabetes. Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act, and it has a direct impact on how well we care for ourselves, including how we manage our diabetes (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion).

Diabetes and mental health are connected in both directions:

• Untreated mental health issues can worsen diabetes outcomes.
• Poor diabetes control can increase stress, anxiety, and depression.
• Fortunately, when one improves, the other often does too (CDC, 2023).

The Emotional Side of Diabetes

Below are some tips for building a supportive healthcare team:

• Diabetes can be scary and tough, but a strong care team helps you live a long, healthy life.
• Talk to your team about challenges, like affording medication or food insecurity—they can connect you to community resources.
• Friends and family can also play a role; let them know how they can support you (American Diabetes Association, 2023).

Be Informed and Empowered

• Learn everything you can about managing diabetes—knowledge builds confidence.
• Participate in diabetes self-management education (DSMES).
• Ask questions and make sure you get answers you understand from your healthcare team, and keep communication open with your providers (ADA, 2023).

Defeat Denial

• Denial is common, especially after diagnosis. Recognize and address statements like “I’ll go later” or “This sore will heal on its own.”
• Set realistic goals (like for blood glucose, A1C, and blood pressure).
• Know your results on tests like A1C, cholesterol, and blood pressure. And make sure you also know what these results mean for you.
• Use tools like CGMs to get useful data (not moral judgments) (ADA, 2023).

Give Up the Guilt

• You didn’t cause your diabetes. Weight and activity can play a role, but genes matter too.
• Don’t aim for perfection—just consistency and intention.
• Taking more medications doesn’t mean you failed. It means you’re adapting as needed (ADA, 2023).

Overcome Depression and Distress

Diabetes distress (feeling overwhelmed by daily management) can make you feel down and is common. If you feel down talk to your healthcare team about what is bothering you and what to do about it. Watch for signs of depression: sadness, lack of energy, sleep changes, hopelessness, or loss of interest.

If you experience such signs, ask your doctor or care team for help. Counseling, support groups, and ADA’s mental health directory can all help (ADA, 2023).

Practical Mental Wellness Tools and Techniques

Positive Self-Talk

Positive self-talk means shifting how you think and speak to yourself. It involves focusing on possibilities instead of limitations.

• Instead of “I can’t do this,” try “This will be tough, but I can take it one step at a time.”
• Instead of “I’ve already messed up today,” try “I had a setback, but I can get back on track.”
• Instead of “I never do anything right,” try “I didn’t get it right this time, but I’m learning and improving.”

Practicing positive self-talk can reduce stress, improve motivation, and help you manage diabetes more effectively. It also helps reduce self-blame, which is common among people living with chronic illness (Mayo Clinic, 2023)

Top 10 Emergency Stress-Stoppers

1. Count to 10 before reacting.
2. Take deep breaths.
3. Go for a walk, even if it’s just a short one.
4. Sleep on it (for nonurgent stress).
5. Meditate or pray.
6. Break big problems into small steps.
7. Turn on calming music.
8. Stretch, laugh, or pet a dog.
9. Hug a loved one.
10. Get active: exercise, walk, run, bike or move (American Heart Association, 2023).

Stress-Reducing Activities

• Talk with friends.
• Play with your kids or pets—outdoors, if possible.
• Work in the garden or do a home improvement project.
• Spend time in nature.
• Meditate or try yoga.
• Work on a hobby or creative project.
• Journal or write freely.
• Read something light or fun.
• Enjoy your favorite music (Mayo Clinic, 2023).

Professional and Self-Guided Relaxation Techniques

Guided Meditation and Deep Breathing

• Inhale slowly for five seconds, hold for two, and exhale for five.
• Reduces “fight or flight” stress response, helping regulate blood sugar and mood (NIH, 2023).

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

• Tense and release muscles, one group at a time, from toes to head.

Visualization & Autogenic Training

• Imagine peaceful settings using all senses (e.g., waves, breeze, warmth) (American Psychological Association, 2023).

Other Mind–Body Supports

• yoga
• tai chi
• massage
• music and art therapy
• aromatherapy
• journaling (NIH, 2023)

Diabetes and Stress

Stress has a real impact on diabetes. When you’re stressed, your body produces stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These can cause your blood sugar to rise, even if you’re following your food and medication plan.

Chronic stress can also make it harder to stick with healthy habits. You might feel too tired to cook, too overwhelmed to exercise, or too anxious to check your glucose levels. It can create a cycle of avoidance and guilt.

Common sources of diabetes-related stress include:

• Feeling like you’re doing everything alone
• Constant decision-making about food and medication
• Worrying about long-term complications
• Guilt about missing a goal or “messing up”

Learning to recognize stress and manage it early can protect both your mental and physical health (American Diabetes Association, 2023).

Daily Stress Management Tips

• Be active: exercise boosts mood and insulin sensitivity.
• Eat well: good nutrition helps body and brain function.
• Get enough sleep: aim for seven to nine hours nightly.
• Laugh: humor reduces cortisol and improves wellbeing.
• Set boundaries: learn to say no when needed.
• Limit social media: too much can trigger stress or comparison.
• Spend time with others: support and connection are buffers against stress.
• Ask for help when needed. (CDC, 2023)

Depression: More Than Just a Bad Mood

Depression is more than feeling sad. Everyone feels low sometimes, but depression is persistent, and it can affect your energy, sleep, relationships, and ability to care for yourself. It may feel like you’re walking through life with a heavy backpack you can’t take off. You may feel like nothing brings you joy. People with diabetes are two to three times more likely to experience depression, but many go undiagnosed. Mental healthcare is essential (CDC, 2023).

These are some common depression symptoms:

• feeling hopeless or constantly down most days
• thoughts of giving up
• sleep problems or sleeping too much
• appetite changes
• trouble focusing or making decisions
• loss of interest in activities or pleasure in things you used to enjoy
• low energy or fatigue
• withdrawal from friends or family
• thoughts of death or suicide

If you notice these symptoms for more than two weeks, do the following:

• Talk to your care team honestly.
• Call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 1-800-662-HELP (SAMHSA).
• Visit the American Diabetes Association mental health page for vetted provider referrals (ADA, 2023)

Treatment can help. There is no shame in getting help for depression—it is a medical condition like any other (CDC, 2023).

Habit-Building for Mental Wellness

Healthy habits take time, consistency, and patience. Small actions practiced daily can become lifelong routines that support your mental and physical wellbeing. Below are four steps for building a healthy habit.

Step One: Make a Plan

• Start with your “why.” Why do you want to feel better mentally? Why does your mental wellness matter to you?
• Choose one area to focus on (like sleep, movement, connection, or stress relief).
• Set a SMART goal:
  • Specific: What exactly will you do?
  • Measurable: How will you track progress?
  • Achievable: Is this realistic?
  • Relevant: How does it support your bigger health goals?
  • Time-bound: When will you start and how often?
• Example: “I will walk for 10 minutes after lunch on weekdays for the next 3 weeks.”

Step Two: Set Yourself Up for Success

• Attach your habit to something you already do (like brushing your teeth or checking your blood sugar).
• Create a reminder system—a sticky note, phone alarm, or calendar prompt.
• Prepare in advance: lay out shoes, queue up a video, or write in your planner.

Step Three: Be Accountable & Stay Flexible

• Track your new habit with a log or app.
• Share your goal with a friend, family member, or support group.
• If you miss a day, don’t give up. Start again the next day.
• If something isn’t working, adjust. It’s about finding what works for you.

Step Four: Celebrate Successes (Big and Small)

• Recognize progress, not perfection.
• Reward yourself with non-food treats (a break, a walk, a phone call with a friend).
• Reflect on how your new habit makes you feel.

Helpful Tools:

• Diabetes self-management education and support classes or diabetes coaching
• Mental wellness trackers and journals
• iMatter² chatbot check-ins
• National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) (CDC, 2023)

Remember mental health is not separate from diabetes care—it is part of it. Managing diabetes takes emotional strength, and emotional well-being strengthens your ability to manage diabetes (ADA, 2023).

You are not alone. Support, tools, and professional help are available.

For more resources, visit the American Diabetes Association page on Mental Health.

More Information

American Diabetes Association. “Emotional Side of Diabetes.” Diabetes.org, 2023,

American Heart Association. “10 Stress-Busting Techniques.” Heart.org, 2023.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Mental Health and Diabetes.” CDC.gov, 2023.

Mayo Clinic. “Stress Management.” MayoClinic.org, 2023.

National Institutes of Health. “Mind and Body Approaches for Stress.” NIH.gov, 2023.

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “The Link Between Diabetes and Mental Health.” CDC, 2023.

American Psychological Association. “Relaxation Techniques: Try These Steps to Reduce Stress.” APA.org, 2023.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “National Helpline.” SAMHSA.gov, 2023.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. “Talk to Someone Now.” 988lifeline.org, 2023.