Blogging

Outside the Bubble.

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“Diabetes! Diabetes! This way!”

The lady behind the counter was shouting and gesturing wildly as I entered the rec centre for an evening on exercise and nutrition put together by my fellow Young Adult Diabetes Committee members.

The YADC came to life a year ago and has since grown into a vibrant community of young adults living with diabetes, who are predominantly type 1s. As I found myself explaining to someone in attendance that night, this group really came about to fulfil a need that was currently missing in the Perth community.

As I took a seat and the evening’s proceedings kicked off, I found myself mentally nodding as I heard concepts being explained by our guest speakers that I was all too familiar with.

I looked around the room, glancing at some of the other people with diabetes and their loved ones in attendance. I observed many of them listening attentively, taking in all of the information they were hearing or jotting it down in note form. My own two parents were sitting behind me, and I wondered how easy this information was for them to take in.

They know the concepts behind managing type 1 diabetes quite well. At home, I find myself talking a lot about some of the exciting developments I read about in the DOC, my advocacy activities and diabetes related travel.

However, I’ve always been very independent in the physical management of my condition. I don’t bother them with all the nitty gritty stuff, like trying to figure out the best time to bolus for a high fat high protein pub dinner when my blood sugar is x mmol.

The evening broke off into group sessions, where I found myself chatting with some of my fellow type 1s in the room. It was nice (but also saddening) to hear other experiences in public hospital diabetes care that mirrored mine, while there were also some inquisitive questions asked of the pumpers and CGM users.

I departed this event with a far greater insight from all of the different perspectives I had heard and observed in the room during the course of the evening, and all of the different motivations for attending.

During our committtee meetings, good ideas simply seem to pop among this very bright group of YADC members. I spend my spare time trawling social media, squealing with excitement over the latest device or venting my frustration over the latest coverage of diabetes in the media. I get to catch up with people in the industry and other diabetes bloggers when I’ve received opportunities to travel, who are people just like me.

This event, however, had finally brought me outside of the diabetes bubble that I so often find myself sitting in. I just need to figure out how I can spend some more time here.

Why Blog?

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My conversation with Rebecca Johnson at the Telethon Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre prompted some serious questions about my blog. Some of which I’ve never really thought about too seriously, and others that I’ve shared little tidbits about over time. Today, I’m popping it all into one post.

Why did I start to blog?

I love writing. My dream is to write for a living someday. I started this blog in January 2015 as a bit of a creative outlet to complement my studies in marketing and communications. I guess, even today, this blog remains a glimmer of hope that one day I might find work more closely aligned to where my passions lie. 

Diabetes seemed like a natural choice to write about. I didn’t even think there were many diabetes blogs out there, let alone an active community sharing their stories online. I know so much more about diabetes than I ever did before I started my blog. I am far more empowered and passionate about the condition that I live with, and I credit that to being a part of the diabetes community.

Is it hard to come up with ideas for blog posts?

It was definitely difficult to come up with ideas in the beginning, and get them onto paper cohesively. Today, the ideas come to me quite naturally. I’m really interested in what’s going on in the diabetes community. Diabetes follows me around in whatever I do, and something interesting always happens along the way. It’s amazing how the tiniest thing can become a blog post. Like, for example, finding a test strip on the hotel room floor. Other days I just want to empty out what’s on my mind, such as this post from last week. You get better at it over time.

Do I feel the pressure to constantly pump out content?

To be honest, I’ve surprised myself in being able to write so much here since I started. It’s more a thing of personal pride that motivates me to keep going. I’m really proud of my writing. I’m proud of my own personal development with my diabetes since I began this journey. I’m really proud of this space that I’ve created, and that people can come here to find a new post almost every day of the week. That was always the vision I had for my blog when I started it. 

How has Type 1 Writes evolved over time?

When I started Type 1 Writes, I imagined it would be more of a thing where I would give diabetes advice and lifestyle tips. I don’t think I realised the value of my own voice and my own story until a little later when I began to connect with others in the Diabetes Online Community.

A lot of my initial blog audience and DOC connections were from the United States, and I felt like I had to fit in with that. I don’t think I realised the value of my perspective as an Australian person with diabetes. I guess today, I’m proud to be an Australian diabetes blogger. I proudly publish my posts during the daytime here in Australia, even if that means that my friends in the US and UK are sitting down to dinner or heading to bed. I’m proud to be a part of the Oz Diabetes Online Community, even if it’s not as huge as DSMA or DCDE groups in the US.

What does the future hold for Type 1 Writes?

Hmmm…I hope I’ll be able to keep doing more of the same. Publishing great content, sharing my story with diabetes, being part of an inspiring community and hopefully reaching more people. I’d love to meet more DOC connections in real life, and attend diabetes conferences. If I could find a job or side income more closely aligned with my blog or my writing someday, that would be amazing too. 

One thing that won’t change, however, is that I will always continue to write what comes from the heart.

Dealing With Diabetes Blogging Burnout

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Two weeks ago, I wrote my 100th post here on Type 1 Writes. It still felt so unreal to me. That I had accomplished something I had put off for so long, and kept at it. Something that had seemed so overwhelming and so complex was actually just as simple as writing from the heart. Something that I had only ever imagined in my wildest dreams was now a reality. I felt so proud and accomplished, but at the same time I couldn’t help but feel that it was the right time to succumb to my growing exhaustion.

I guess in the past month, I’ve been pushing myself a little too hard. In these past few weeks, my brain has been exploding with ideas to write about. From things that happened during the day, to some super dooper #OzDOC chat topics, to other good reading within the Diabetes Online Community. There seemed to be no shortage of ideas, and I was pushing myself to get these ideas into blog posts. I was churning out more writing than normal, and it got to the point where blogging stopped being fun.

To top it all off, the peak of my burnout just happened to be on the #DayOfDiabetes that I was so looking forward to participating in. The #DayOfDiabetes where the Diabetes Online Community would partake in a day of live tweeting their condition. It pained me to Tweet this, but I had absolutely no energy or motivation to take part in #DayOfDiabetes (or to even read your Tweets like I promised).

So, how does one deal with, and hopefully overcome, blogging burnout?

I stopped.

I logged out of Twitter, I logged out of WordPress and I put my foot on the brakes.

I took some time to do some of the other things that I enjoy. Like watching the new season of Survivor Second Chance that I’ve been looking forward to ever since it was announced. Finally finishing my 877 page book that I’ve been reading for several weeks. And spending some time in the sunshine and fresh air.

I reminded myself of why I write. Because it helps, and motivates me. I reminded myself of why I love being a part of the Diabetes Online Community. Because you inspire me, and help me feel less alone. And I reminded myself of all of the good things that have come from this experience.

Two days later I finally felt inspired to write again, thanks to a compelling #OzDOC chat topic that week. I brought my laptop outside and wrote for a while in the sunshine, before switching off again for much of the weekend.

And going forward, that’s what I intend to do. To keep writing when I’m inspired. To keep writing from the heart. And to keep having fun. I won’t push myself to write when I don’t feel like it, and I won’t write more than my usual four posts a week for the time being.

Also for fun, I’m taking on the #DOCtober photo challenge this month thanks to Kerri at Six Until Me. I will do my best to post a diabetes related photo each day with the hashtag #DOCtober – follow me on Instagram to keep up!

Silver lining to exercise on a miserable day ☁️ #DOCtober #diabetes

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