Fifteen years ago, Helen Edwards had an epiphany at a family lunch, from personal experience she felt there was a gap in mental health and diabetes care, and realised this new thing called the internet could help her reach out and connect with other people living with diabetes.

When I first started Diabetes Counselling Online in 2002, the Internet was new; there were only three other general online counselling services in Australia, one online diabetes community which was just for young adults with type 1 diabetes – Reality Check – and no social networks. We did email based counselling and bulletin boards, said Helen.

Over time and a lot of hard work, the light bulb moment has now morphed into a multifaceted diabetes counselling service providing support to people living with diabetes through the Diabetes Counselling Online website, resources, blog posts and moderated support groups on Facebook.

Diabetes Counselling Online is Helen’s passion and baby. She is a strong believer in open communication and focusing on mental health as the forefront of diabetes management.

If people are stressed, they are not going to care about the numbers. Its going to go in one ear and out the other, Helen said. The annual care checks need to include mental health questions for example, how are you feeling? How are you coping? Have you noticed any trends in your mental wellbeing?

In people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, diabetes-distress and burnout is common. According Helen, higher rates of burnout happen at times of celebration for example, Christmas, big birthdays and weddings. You may also experience higher rates of burnout if you are diagnosed with a diabetes related complication, you are in a transition phase for example, moving from the paediatric health care system to adult care and life pressures for example, relationship problems, drug and alcohol problems etc. Being mentally healthy and aware of burnout can help you avoid diabetes distress.

Helen’s tips to avoid burnout

1. Separate yourself from your diabetes
2. Use your regular check-ups as tools rather than judgements
3. Think about how you use language, use words like high and low instead of good and bad; check instead of test
4. Use highs and lows as opportunities to reflect and change where possible
5. Seek help; get a referral from a GP. You may be experiencing short term frustration or having a bad day or you could be experiencing the warning signs for something longer term
6. Practise calming your mind
7. Enjoy things that are not to do with diabetes
8. Most importantly, cut yourself some slack.

Diabetes Counselling Online has over 15,000 followers on the main Facebook page and members of specific groups for example, Rural Diabetes, Men with Diabetes, Pregnancy and Parenting and Parents of kids with diabetes. Diabetes Counselling Online is a non-for-profit gift charity.

For more information, visit Diabetes Counselling Online website: www.yourdiabeteshub.com