Living with a chronic health condition means showing up for your health, every single day.

For people managing diabetes — a condition in which blood sugar levels fluctuate — it means keeping an eye on their glucose level and ensuring it stays within the normal range.  In such situations, your knowledge about your body becomes your superpower. This knowledge, however, does not come easy. It is a commitment that becomes a part of every task, hobby, grocery list, and health plan. The mental and emotional energy it takes to keep up with care can gradually build up, until it feels like too much.

This feeling has a name — diabetes burnout.

The Invisible Struggle

A diabetes diagnosis comes with a completely new life. A new approach to work, holidays, even sleep. It begins with not knowing what you can eat, and slowly adjusting to your body’s requirements. With doctors, friends and family asking questions, over time, the need for constant attention can wear one down.

Those managing diabetes are familiar with how almost every conversation, even with a friend or family member, involves questions about medication schedules, meals, and glucose monitoring. This need to be answerable and the sense of accountability are invisible to others and feels isolating.

The rise of information has permeated social interactions too, whether it’s ‘culinary cruelty’ that makes it hard to navigate social engagements with diabetes meal preferences, or ‘dietary draconism’ that makes diets too restrictive and unable to get the nutrition you need.

Recognizing Burnout, Without Blame

Burnout may look different for every person. But it can happen to anyone regardless of the stage of managing the condition.

Sometimes it’s irritability or a sense of frustration, at other times it could be a gradual pulling back from usual routines — a reluctance to check blood sugar or skipping medications and medical appointments.

As it may seem, burnout doesn’t reflect a lack of willpower or effort. In fact, it may often be mistaken for ‘not trying,’ but in reality, burnout means a person has been trying very hard and has probably reached a point of exhaustion.

Acknowledging this is a necessary step toward creating space for change. It can come from your physician, partner, family, friends, coworkers, but most importantly, from within oneself.

When Technology Steps in

Modern technology can offer some much-needed relief, if not completely eliminate the challenges of diabetes.

Sensor-based continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems help take the guesswork out and give real-time blood glucose trends through day and night. A continuous glucose monitoring device shares insights on rising or falling glucose levels over time. This helps understand the body’s responses better and reduces the uncertainty of sudden lows or the confusion around persistent highs.

CGM makes it easier to keep track of your glucose levels, meals, insulin and physical activity, to free up mental energy for life beyond the numbers. It can give people the confidence to pursue their passions, wholeheartedly, without the constant worry of glucose spikes and drops. It makes connected care possible, helping patients share the responsibility of managing their health with family members. It gives people the confidence to take charge of their health and have more meaningful and clear conversations with healthcare providers.

Thus, CGM can transform care into a habit that feels more integrated into daily life, rather than seeming like an interruption.

A Gentler Relationship with Daily Care

The reality of diabetes burnout is this: it means you’ve been doing your best under challenging circumstances, and now your body and mind are asking for a break. It’s going to be a part of your care journey, and enlisting the help of those around you – social or technological support – can make it feel like less of a burden and more of a rhythm that you can sync with.

Disclaimer: The information mentioned in this document is only suggestive /for patient education and shall not be considered as a substitute for doctor’s advice or recommendations from Abbott. Please consult your doctor for more information.