*Disclaimer: All content and information in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only. Always consult your health care provider before making any adjustments to your exercise routine or diabetes management.

If someone you love lives with type one diabetes, we know that this journey effects you too. Every high blood or low blood sugar that we experience, you are on the side lines with us doing your best to support, but not overstep. It’s a fine line, and sometimes it may be hard to gauge how to support your T1D. To be honest, sometimes we don’t even know what we need. So this blog post is here for you to refer back to when you’re not sure how to help your loved one with T1D.

This is your journey too.. 

Above anything else, don’t discredit how much this journey impacts you. As a mom, family member, spouse, or friend – we know you would do anything for us. But let’s admit that it doesn’t make it easy. So if you take anything from this blog post, let it be that you give yourself grace and validation that this is not an easy thing to take on, regardless of how you’re connected to it.

What not to do: Ask “should you be eating that?”

As a person living with diabetes, we are making 180+ decisions every day. In every decision, we are considering 42+ factors that influence our blood sugars. We’re counting the carbs on our plate, assessing arrows on our continuous glucose monitors and measuring out doses of insulin with every bite. The best thing a supporter can do is to assist in lightening the decision making load.

Some easy ways to do this:
– Carb count our plate before mealtime
– Send us the recipe you’re using for a specific meal
– Send us the menu of the restaurant we’re going to later that evening
– Give us a 15 minute heads up before the meal is ready so we can pre-bolus.

What not to do: Ask “What’s your blood sugar?”

I know it’s tempting to check in on our blood sugars – and we know it’s a sign that you care. However, external check-ins can add the feeling of pressure and judgment even when that’s not the intention. The most helpful thing you can do? Let us know you’re there to support us when the highs or lows happen. My personal favorite ways that my partner does this include bringing me water or tea when my blood sugar is high or bringing me juice when my blood sugar is low!

What not to do: Offer solutions

My Virgo energy is guilty of this one too. When someone comes to me with a problem, my first instinct is to solve it for them. We never want our loved ones to feel sick or to feel frustrated, so we try to offer the best solutions. However, I’ve learned through coaching that the best thing you can do is simply offer a listening ear in these moments. Let your loved one cuddle up, vent and express their frustrations when diabetes is throwing the curve balls. Sometimes, just hearing “that sucks” is exactly what we need to hear to validate our experience.

Supporting someone with diabetes is no easy task, but trust me when I say having a support system is what allows us to power through this diagnosis every single day. For more tips on this topic, take a listen to Episode 29: This One’s for the Parents, Partners, and Supports of a T1D. Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.