There is a need to spread knowledge about the meaning of the word “invictus” itself. Invictus is a poem written by William Earnest Henly. He was suffering from TB and he wrote about it explaining how he mastered the management. It is a beautiful poem and the name means - which is unconquerable.
Diabetes is an omnipresent disease in India and worldwide. 10 per cent of Indians are diabetic, but 20 per cent of Indians are pre-diabetic. This means one out of every three adult Indian has some stage of diabetes, which is huge. Only common cold or cough can match up to this statistics. There is no other disease in terms of its prevalence; therefore, require a huge amount of effort to deal with this.
The human body is a wondrous and complex organism. So much so that each and every process and function is governed not only just by the body itself but also by the mind and soul.
A deadly disease like diabetes is manageable but incurable. Even its management can be confusing with its many ups and downs; what may work for one person may not work for others. There is no hard or fast rule when it comes to dealing with diabetes. And this is what makes every diabetic search for ways to deal with diabetes on their own terms.
Herein lies the problem: any search for correct information on diabetes and ways to manage it yields the same age old answers. This can be extremely frustrating. I'm not saying the information is wrong, just that it doesn't give the whole picture. No one tells you that your stress levels or even your emotional health can affect your diabetes. Everyone tells you to exercise, but what if you just don't have the time to? Trying to make healthy food choices is like navigating a minefield; you don't know how your body will react to anything and your faced eating food that you don't even like. Another issue is the preconceptions and prejudices attached to diabetes, especially where body weight is concerned.
Despite the dismal picture I just drew, I have also learned a lot. Not just about diabetes, but also about myself. So here are a few lessons that having diabetes has taught me:
Be inspired by your diabetes
Many people see diabetes as a dead end; once you develop the disease, your no longer going to have a life. But, that's not true. Once I learned to how to control it, it doesn't hold me back anymore. I successfully started my own company just a few years after diagnosis! And its not just me; I have met so many people who have gone on to do great things with their life after being diagnosed. And its all because of diabetes teaches you things like being patient with yourself, controlling your urges and cravings, managing your stress levels and keeping fit.
Stay positive
Diabetes can actually cut 8 years from a person's life. But the way I see it, is that it can also increase it by another 8 years. Surrounding myself with positive people, meditating everyday, and indulging in something I love are some of the ways I stay positive. I've also learned to be kind to myself. It's difficult, of course; but the more you learn to stay positive, the better you get at it.
Understand your diabetes
When I first diagnosed, I made the classic mistake of ignoring it and considering it unimportant. I took my medication regularly, but I didn't do anything beyond that. This is where a lot of people diagnosed with diabetes and/or other cardiometabolic diseases can improve on. Diabetes is a lifestyle disease and can reverse or mitigate many of the changes diabetes brings with it. But, you have to understand how diabetes affects a person and what this means for yourself. Your body might not respond to the same kind of treatment as someone else, your body is unique as are its responses. It took me a long time until I learned how I could improve my diabetes management, and I'm still learning to do so. Diabetes reduces a man’s years around 8 years. If the average life is 80, diabetic will live up to 72. Diabetes could be an opportunity to improve your lifestyle and live better. If you start taking care immediately, you start doing better. Remember, Diabetes is not your last call. Respond to it on time and it can actually increase lifespan.
Ask and accept support from people
One of the biggest lessons I learned from diabetes, is that I wasn't the only one affected by it, my family and friends were also affected. The part that struck me the most, was that they were willing to share the burden of managing my diabetes, if I would ask it of them. I know of entire families of diabetics who supported each other by going together on doctor's appointments, countless tests and making special food that would be better for their health. Other people form support groups or their own exercise groups so that they will always have someone looking out for them. The point in garnering support is not to have people who will commiserate with you; they are there to bolster your confidence in yourself, to keep you responsible for your own treatment and to keep you going when you falter.
Share your knowledge
There were so many times when I wished I someone could have taught me what I know today about diabetes. I've met so many diabetics who refuse to talk about it because they're embarrassed about it. But there's no reason why they should be! How else are we supposed to learn more about it? How else are we supposed to warn people about developing diabetes if we don't talk about it? Did you know India has 7 crore pre-diabetics? In addition to 20 crore diabetics, and that's not even the full number. Imagine how many lives we could save by speaking up and helping those predisposed to diabetes to overcome it.
It’s all about winning over diabetes. In the poem 'Invictus', William Earnest Henley says, “Be the master of your fate and the captain of your soul”. Diabetes can be a debilitating disease, but only if you give it power over yourself. So be the unbeatable, the unconquerable; be an Invictus diabetic!
(Author is Founder & CEO, Lifespan India)