[RPLong]

teaching other diabetics to be so preoccupied is dangerous to them because it increases the temptation to give up on the daily routines

^^ Sorry, this makes no sense at all. Maintaining a routine is one way to express a preoccupation with diabetes management!

[1123581321]

I mean: there are a few things you need to do each day to manage diabetes. These are important. What you don’t need to do is worry about it between those times. If you convince someone they need to do too much to manage the disease, they’re more likely to give up on the whole thing.

[RPLong]

More likely, as measured how? How do you know this? Spending more time thinking about my condition is a great way to improve blood glucose control, at least in my experience.

[1123581321]

Of course. I spend plenty of time thinking about diabetes and I stay involved in the data measuring communities (Nightscout, Spike, etc.) I enjoy knowing what’s going on with my body and I try to get like-minded diabetics to look into that. I also help people figure out how to get a CGM prescription and sell them on it by loaning mine out for a few weeks (and just that much data eases worry once they see their actual operating parameters. It’s worth my going without for a bit.)

I know this because I know diabetics who have lapsed out of control, or retreated into a rather small life, because they felt the excessive personal rules they’d either self-imposed or been taught by others were burdensome. When possible, teaching them a lighter set of principles to follow has had a positive effect.