How does social media impact your self-image as a person with type 1 diabetes? Not great, it turns out, if you’re focusing on the idealized image of the “perfect diabetic”.
In any social media network, our attention is the product. Listen in to hear our ways to cope with the negative feelings that could crop up when we compare ourselves to others.
Wins & Fails
Colleen’s Win: My BGs have been pretty steady today between my lines, which is always nice. No real unicorns but that’s not the point!
Jessie’s Fail: Jessie’s thigh site for her infusion set failed. Her thighs may have turned into a bad place for her sites. She had to move it to her stomach.
Tip of the Week
Set app timers for yourself to block social media after a certain number of minutes, or just remove the apps entirely from your phone to prevent mindless scrolling.
Diabetes Spotlight
The spotlight this week is on the Eversense E3 implantable CGM, which has been approved by the FDA for 180-day wear in the USA. That’s 6 months, whereas previously it was only approved for 3 months. This approval is a big step toward longer-lasting CGMs where you don’t have to change the sensor every 7 or 10 days like the Dex, Libre, and Medtronic. The downside (in my opinion) is that you have to get it injected, which means lidocaine and needles. But for many of you, that’s worth not having to change sensors out like infusion sites.
You can listen to episode 71 for more on the Eversense CGM, as well as the Dexcom G6, Libre, and Medtronic sensors.
Now It's Your Turn...
How much time do you spend on social media, and what are some things you’ve noticed about the T1D communities on there?
Do you find yourself unable to stop the social media compare and despair, wishing you could figure out how everyone else has figured it all out, chasing the ideal of the perfect diabetic? Join me in Type 1 Confidence, a coaching program designed to teach you how to feel better—without the gimmicky tactics of blocking apps, fad diets, or positive thinking.
Mentioned in This Episode
- Support the podcast by buying us a coffee through Ko-fi!
- Freedom App
- Facebook Purity
- Read The Gap and the Gain by Dr. Benjamin Hardy (affiliate link)
- Follow John Delony—mental Health, social Media, & the backpack full of bricks
Community & Social
- Join us in the Half-Dead Pancreas Club, our private Discord community for people with T1D.
- Follow us on Instagram @thisistype1pod, @jj_crystalkat, & @type1ravenclaw
- Follow us on Facebook
Choose Where to Listen
Credits
Our music is by Joseph McDade. Check out his website here!
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