Love. Joy. Peace. Happiness. Health. Hope.

These words aren’t just abstract concepts; they’re living, breathing emotions that course through our bodies, shaping our experiences and guiding our paths. They can be the key to easing #DiabetesDistress.  This isn’t just a poetic musing—it’s a practice rooted in the science of interoception, the awareness of internal body states. Our emotions are our body’s way of communicating our needs, processing experiences, and calming our ego. But modern culture often trains us to doubt these feelings, leading us to believe the worst-case scenarios crafted by our ego-self.

Our diabetes education and guidelines often feel like strict, confining rules and we are trained to disregard our emotions.   Don’t eat even though you are starving during a low.  Put on a brave face so you don’t inconvenience others.  Stay inside the lines and be safe.   Always be on the lookout for trouble.  Danger is lurking in your future if you don’t “behave”.   Sound familiar?

While it’s important to be mindful and manage your diabetes diligently, you ALSO need to add in something to balance the stress.

I created this mantra in my early twenties during a period when I felt lost. I didn’t know what actions would bring me to a better place, but I sensed that my feelings and emotions held the key. So, I rode my bike and repeated these words, striving to embody and be these traits. Many years later, they remain an anchor point for me. Interestingly, I also discovered a similar sentiment echoed in a Bible scripture years later.

Consider each emotion and see if you can begin to create the feeling in your body.

Love: The Foundation of Connection

Love has always been the hardest for me, especially when feeling unlovable or only receiving conditional love—love that depended on being a “good girl,” doing the right thing, making the family proud, and behaving in certain ways. To make love easier to embody and believe in, I broke it down into three core feelings:

• Acceptance: One of the strongest ways I feel love is to be accepted just as I am without the need to adapt to someone else’s standard.   I may not like everyone or even myself all the time, but I can accept and honor the truth of where I am, what got me here, and my journey. Acceptance means I don’t need you (or me) to be different.
• Trust:  Knowing someone won’t hurt or betray you is another expression of love.   It applies to yourself as well as others.  Pay attention to how much you trust your gut and others.
• Safety:  The feeling of love cannot coexist with fear or worry—they signal a lack of comfort and safety.  Feeling safe physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually means you can let your guard down.

Imagine feeling safe, trusting, and accepted. That is love. If these elements are absent, it’s a sign that it’s not true love. However, these are emotions we can cultivate within ourselves.  Feeling self-love is the fuel for your diabetes journey

Joy: The Essence of Light

Joy is like light—it’s full of miracles, enthusiasm, effervescence, surprises, and amazement. It’s the bubbles and fizz in the drink of life. Imagine the feeling of “delight” when someone notices something important to you and acts on it, making you feel seen, noticed, and uplifted.

Peace: The Breath of Relief

Peace feels like relief, release, relaxation, and surrender. It’s the opposite of tension. Personally, this is the emotion I try to connect with the most to allow other feelings to flow through. Take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and soften your forehead. Place your hand over your heart and say, “I am OK.”

Happiness: The Solid Ground

Happiness feels more solid than joy, akin to contentment, satisfaction, and a sense of being enough. The easiest way to feel happiness is to smile. Gratitude can also foster happiness. Even when the world feels chaotic, find small things to be grateful for—shelter, a sunrise, a pet, food to eat, running water, the bloom of a flower, insulin in the fridge or diabuddy

Health: The Flow of Life

Health is the flow of life moving through your fascia and tissues. It’s the absence of stagnation, the strength that comes from moving your body, sweating, breathing deeply, stretching, and experiencing flow. I like to imagine a silver cord of light connected to my belly button from the Universe, filling me with energy, wisdom, healing, and divine information. Tap into the sense of aliveness, vibration, energy, or tingling within your tissues and let it cascade and ripple to every cell in your body.  Remember there is a TON of things going on inside you!

Hope: The Direction of a Better Future

Hope is the feeling that points towards a better future. It’s riding the crest of the wave carrying you forward, filled with positivity and the acknowledgment of progress. Hope feels expansive, open, and full of possibilities. It can be found by tapping into your curiosity, unleashing your dreams, and imagining a tomorrow that is better than today.  Even little baby steps count.

Integrating Interoception

To embody these feelings, simply say each word, bring to mind the descriptions I’ve provided, and purposefully remember or imagine what your body feels like in those states. Once your brain creates this reality, your body follows, releasing new chemicals, hormones, and shifting into your parasympathetic (rest and repair) state. This is where healing is amplified, connections feel safer, and you regain your footing. It’s a feeling of being home.

Practice this often. It’s free, private, has no negative side effects, and you don’t need anyone’s permission.

Love. Joy. Peace. Health. Happiness. Hope.

Be well,

 

(Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.   It is not so far off from my mantra and I am sure I must have heard it somewhere in my life, but I know I wasn’t reading that book when it came to me).