Face Your Fears

What scares you about diabetes? From facing discrimination to fearing for a spouse’s safety…

Josephine Stafford was eight years old when she woke from a coma feeling terrified and confused. She was diagnosed with type 1, starting an emotional rollercoaster of fears, worries and concerns that would challenge her for the rest of her life.

Josephine, now 44, was initially scared of pain and screamed every time she had a needle. Then she felt anxious about being ostracised at school, as kids called her a drug addict and a “dumb diabetic”.

Her parents didn’t understand diabetes and were preoccupied with their own problems. With no-one to guide her through the everyday challenges of managing the disease, Josephine coped by going into denial. “I spent such a large part of my life not wanting to acknowledge that I had diabetes at all,” she says.

Diabetic Living psychologist Dr Janine Clarke says that fear is a completely normal reaction to a “complex, demanding and unpredictable” condition such as diabetes. Although unpleasant, it’s not always a bad thing, and can prompt you to take care of yourself and keep yourself safe. But when fear and worry start to take over your life and go on for too long, it can cause problems.

“The struggle to control or get rid of fear and anxiety can get in the way of you pursuing things that matter most to you – the things that make your life rich, vital and meaningful,” says Dr Clarke. “When this happens, it can be helpful to learn ways to reduce the impact of anxious thoughts and feelings that will inevitably show up.” Here’s how…

TYPE 2

What scares me…