Following the huge success of our FreeStyle Connect event back in July, we invited our community back for a second event, this time focused on Type 1 diabetes mental health and emotional wellbeing. Living with diabetes can have a huge impact on your mental health, whether your diagnosis is recent or you’ve been living with your condition for years.

If you’ve often felt anxious, frustrated or burned out, you’re not alone. That’s why we decided to open up the conversation around diabetes and emotional wellbeing. Our FreeStyle Connect event featured guidance and support from our panel of healthcare professionals and trained psychologists, as well as personal stories from influencers and sportspeople. By engaging with the diabetes community, we want to share that none of us are struggling alone.

Hosted once again by Sky News presenter Stephen Dixon, who has Type 1 diabetes, the event kicked off with Professor Deborah Christie, a leading paediatric and adolescent psychologist, and Senior Lecturer and Diabetes Specialist Nurse, Peter Jennings. Plus, we invited a number of ambassadors, influencers and healthcare professionals to talk about their experiences of diabetes and mental health.

Helen Wills, whose teenage daughter has diabetes, shared her memories of receiving the diagnosis and the life-changing impact it had on her daughter and their family. By talking us through her personal feelings of worry and parental guilt, Helen helped us see the hidden positives in her and her daughter’s journey, and revealed how together they discovered life with diabetes can still be lived to the full.

For Aoife Willis a FreeStyle Libre Ambassador, Type 1 diabetes felt like she was being robbed of the things she loves. A keen rower and runner, she tried to overcome her diabetes by resisting any changes in her lifestyle. With the help of Consultant Diabetologist Emma Wilmot, we discussed how this approach led Aoife to a state of burnout. We also heard how something as simple as talking about her anxieties helped her to come to terms with her diagnosis and begin to take healthy steps toward reclaiming the lifestyle she loves.

Our final ambassador was solo offshore sailor, Jack Trigger, who quite literally rides the waves with his Type 1 diabetes. Taking a philosophy from one of his favourite authors, Jack leads with the mantra: “If nothing is certain, then everything is possible.” By learning to accept those things he can and can’t control about his condition, Jack showed us how simple problem solving, patience and a little self-care can help develop a better relationship with diabetes.

As well as the FreeStyle Libre ambassadors’ own personal journeys and experiences, event topics included:

·       Dealing with diagnosis

·       How to cope with a diagnosis in children

·       Advice for families in diabetes care

·       Most common challenges for those living with diabetes

·       Science behind diabetes distress and alarm anxiety

·       Diabetes burnout

·       Practical tips on tackling emotional challenges

·       How to deal with feelings of isolation

·       Changing your diabetes mindset

·       Tips for finding mental strength and emotional support

·       Advice on where to find external help and educating your support network

With quizzes, polls and plenty of opportunity for viewer-submitted questions, the FreeStyle Connect event helped those with diabetes feel more empowered to open up about their mental health within a friendly, community environment. 

Did you miss it? Not to worry. Abbott is planning a third FreeStyle Connect event in January 2021, focused on wellness.