• Fresh Views

    Live a better life through reflection and focus on what you can control

    April 26, 2023

    If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. – Martin Luther King Jr.

    As we launched into 2023, a personal goal for us both has been to focus more on the positive in our lives and do more of what’s working for us (core principles of a solution-focused approach to life). The above quote from Martin Luther King drives home the point that we have to keep moving forward. So, how do we each know if we’re better today compared to 2 years ago? Or even 4 months ago? We don’t… unless we’re keeping track…and that’s one way journaling has helped bring improvement in our lives. As part of our daily journaling, we take a moment to record at least 1-2 specific things we are grateful for in the day and a daily affirmation. We grow through reflection. So 4 months into this journaling journey, we decided to step back and see what we have learned – and share some of our learnings with you. Today’s blog is a little longer than usual. Thanks for reading and we hope you find it insightful.

    TAMI’S LEARNINGS

    Be present and be intentional

    Hey, this is Tami writing. At the start of his journaling journey I had 2 personal goals over this year: 1) To practice being more present in the moment and what it has to bring and 2) To be intentional. I am in no way where I want to be, but I’m making progress!

    Tami’s Big 6 Observations

    1. Consistency is important. A few days off track because life happens and it’s easy to lose focus on what’s good. Consistency in journaling helps me maintain focus on the positive.
    2. Work-life balance improves my happiness. I am happier when I leave work on time. The days that I get home just a half hour earlier makes a big difference.
    3. Nature brings joy. These gifts of nature have included a dusting of snow sparkling on roof tops on my drive to work. Sunshine and longer days. A blooming redbud tree and fragrant yellow daffodils in the backyard.
    4. Flexibility in my schedule reduces my stress. The rare opportunity to work from home for even 2 hours, rather than in the office, made a difference in my stress on those days.
    5. I feel calmer when I get the difficult things done early in the day.
    6. Pause and put my “problems” in perspective. When I get overwhelmed with life, I need to pause and remind myself of the people in my life that are dealing with many more challenges than me. That helps put my problems in perspective.

    5 things I expressed gratitude for:

    • When my sweet daughter-in-law dropped by homemade pad thai and a fun book for me to read
    • Cleaning out 3 drawers and dropping off a donation bag
    • Coming home from work to see the neighborhood kitty has stopped by for a catnap on our back porch sofa
    • Laughing with friends at the end of a long day.
    • An unexpected call from my son just to say “hi”

    2 impactful daily affirmations I’ve used:

    • I can choose to be happy
    • I CAN do this. I have no need for fear.

    DEB’S LEARNINGS

    This is Deb writing now. Like the graphic image in this blog, in 2023 I want to focus on things that I have control over in my life and spend less time thinking about or worrying over the things I can’t control. Based on those 6 categories in the image, here are some examples of what I’ve been doing and thinking about so far this year.

    Deb’s Big 6 Observations

    1. My boundaries. I have been focused on setting boundaries at both work and home so I can focus on things that are important to me and my family.  Sometimes that has meant canceling a trip when life gets too busy and other times, simply knowing I can say “no”.
    2. My thoughts and actions.  I tend to think that I have to be busy and productive all of the time….that down time is wasting time.  I travel a lot for work and sometimes I’m just tired…..I’ve allowed myself to spend a whole day in my PJs and watch some of my favorite shows or listen to a great audiobook and enjoy doing something that does not appear to be productive (but it really is!).
    3. The goals I set. I’ve been following our solution-focused goal setting approach by trying to do more of what works, and leaning in to what those situations are. I am more of a night owl but I noticed that when I go to bed earlier it’s much easier for me to wake up feeling refreshed. So I started to wake up at 5 am every weekday morning so I’ll be tired by 10 pm and be able to fall asleep. It’s hard to do when traveling, so this is still a work in progress.
    4. What I give my energy to. I have always talked about “bucket list” items, but this year I created an actual list and started to check things off. I love to travel, so travel locations are a big part of my list….I’ll be checking off quite a few later this spring. My daughter and I splurged and saw Adelle in Las Vegas (they’ll never be a show better than that!). I saw the California Poppy SuperBloom just last week. My list has both  big and small things. I want to imprint as many images and memories as possible.
    5. How I speak to myself. When I used to commute to work I would use my drive home at the end of the day as an opportunity to actually speak to myself and assess what went well, what could have gone better. I focused on how I could improve and also what I was proud of. Now that I work at home, I’m not doing that anymore. I’ve been using my journal as a way to start this habit again.
    6. How I handle challenges. Generating solutions, as you know, is a solution-focused habit. I’ve been trying to focus on how to make changes to move in the direction I want to go instead of “fixing” the problem. This is not always easy, but it’s the best way I’ve found to deal with challenging situations. 

    5 things I expressed gratitude for:

    My favorite tool and daily ritual when home is “feeding” the Gratitude Bird! Even if it’s small, saying those words and putting a pebble in the bird’s mouth makes me smile. Some of the things I’ve been grateful for are simple and some are big:

    • Sitting in front of a fireplace
    • Having my cat on my lap during a work meeting
    • My son moving back to the west coast from Indiana
    • A bright blue sky
    • My future daughter-in-law and how happy she makes my son.

    My most  impactful daily affirmation:

    • I can choose to be healthy.

    Let us know if some of our learnings resonate with you and spur topics for discussion within your professional practice.

    If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients. 

    Follow us on Twitter @AFreshPOVforYou

    Deb is employed by Dexcom, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

    Tami is employed by the University of Kentucky HealthCare Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

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  • Fresh Views

    Expressing Gratitude: 6 Strategies To Get Started 

    March 15, 2023
    Deb’s gratitude bird waiting to be “fed” a message of gratitude

    I am happy because I’m grateful. I choose to be grateful. That gratitude allows me to be happy.

    ~Will Arnett

    Expressing gratitude is something we strongly believe in and practice in our daily lives. The expression of gratitude and acknowledging things that have gone well in the day is a powerful tool in solution-focused practice. We’ve written about gratitude many times in this blog. 

    Recently when traveling in Colorado, Deb happened upon a unique art shop and was called to two beautiful “gratitude birds” (pictured above and below). She knew immediately that we needed them. Each morning, we start the day by “feeding” our gratitude birds with a daily message or two (or three) of things we are grateful for. Some are big, some are the tiny things in life. Today as we write, Deb is grateful for her kitties and Tami is grateful for the sunshine and spring daffodils ready to burst into bloom. Gratitude does not need to be huge or all encompassing, a simple statement can start your day off in a positive direction.

    The simple definition of gratitude is “a feeling of thankful appreciation for favors or benefits received; thankfulness.”  But the practice of gratitude means so much more.

    Gratitude is good for health

    Practicing gratitude is powerful. While the relationship is not fully understood, positive emotions such as expressing gratitude, are linked to healthier lifestyle choices. And healthy lifestyle choices including healthy eating and being active are in turn linked to overall health. 

    According to the American Heart Association, several clinical trials show that engaging in a practice of gratitude can lower blood pressure and help the immune system. It’s also been noted that grateful people have healthier eating habits, are more physically active, have improved sleep, are less likely to smoke and abuse alcohol, and have higher rates of taking medications as prescribed. Several studies suggest that gratitude can decrease stress and anxiety by activating the areas in the brain that release feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine. It’s difficult to feel sorry for yourself or feel down if you’re practicing gratitude.

    Today we offer 6 strategies to help develop daily gratitude habits: 

    1. Keep a gratitude journal. For us recently, when we pick up our 5-minute daily journal which we shared about here, it prompts us to record those things we are grateful for in the day. Our personal goal is to identify at least 3 things daily for which we’re grateful. 
    2. Have gratitude reminders. These are simple cues to remind you to focus on gratitude daily. Maybe it’s an alarm on your phone, a bracelet or wristband, a photo, a magnet, or a post-it note. 
    3. Use gratitude apps. There are a number of apps with a range of capabilities including sending reminders, sharing uplifting thoughts, and organizing memories for which you are grateful. We shared some favorites in this post here.
    4. Practice sharing positive feedback with others. A little different angle on the practice of expressing gratitude, the next time a restaurant or store employee is helpful or you enjoy a product, tell others about your experience. Leave a positive review or tell managers about helpful, positive employees. That’s a simple but impactful way to express gratitude for great service.
    5. Start a gratitude box. Keeping a box (jar, album, folder, or whatever works for you) filled with notes, pictures, and moments you are grateful for can bring a boost when needed. 
    6. Listen, smile, be respectful and choose kindness. Applying this to solution-focused practice, our actions and treating others as we would like to be treated are another way to express gratitude. It lets others know that we value them.
    Tami’s gratitude bird

    3 tips to keep your gratitude practice going:

    1. Find a daily time to practice gratitude and try to be consistent. Maybe it’s when you get up in the morning. Maybe it’s before you go to bed at night. Maybe it’s when you’re exercising.
    2. Write what you feel. Don’t censor it.  
    3. Refrain from making the list repetitive. Pause, reflect and be specific about the small and the big things you are grateful for in the day.

    If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients. 

    Follow us on Twitter @AFreshPOVforYou

    Deb is employed by Dexcom, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

    Tami is employed by the University of Kentucky HealthCare Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

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  • Fresh Views

    What a difference 5 minutes can make!

    February 1, 2023

    We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. – Will Durant

    We prefer to  focus on New Year’s “Solutions” (rather than resolutions) as we mentioned in our last blog. It’s said that nearly 1 in 4 quit their attempts at their New Year’s resolutions within the first week, and a majority quit before the end of January. So out with “resolutions”, and in with “solutions” for us. Check out our last blog to learn a couple of our personal 2023 New Year’s solutions!

    Another personal New Year’s solution for us in 2023 to try to bring focus on the positive in our lives and do more of what’s working for us (principles of a solution-focused approach to life). A tool we’re using is quick daily journaling. As two people who don’t typically write journals, this has been an enlightening endeavor and adventure in the new year! The resource we are currently using is The Five Minute Journal pictured above (we are in no way receiving sponsorship/support). We want to share it with you as we are finding it helpful and thought you and those you see in practice might find it helpful too. 

    The journal incorporates solution-focused principles including:

    • Gratitude
    • Daily affirmations
    • Highlights and learnings of the day (so that one can build upon those)

    We’ll share more on these as tools in future posts – tools  that can help one create the life they want (whether they choose to journal or not). And we’ll share some of our personal learnings and highlights along the way.  

    This journaling experience is a positive practice to begin and end each day. And truly it’s taking us 5 minutes or less. Admittedly, the first few days, Tami found fitting this new routine in a bit challenging, but kept reminding herself 1% effort beats 0% and to just write what she could. (Maybe she couldn’t identify 3 highlights of the day, but she could identify 2, so go with that). A few weeks in, we now find ourselves thinking throughout the day what we want to capture in the journal at day’s end!

    Our discoveries our first couple of weeks in with our 5-minute journal experience:

    • It has brought consistency and accountability.
    • It’s providing a snapshot, if you will, each day of our positive experiences
    • It’s helping us create a better day, particularly in regard to what we have control over
    • We’re finding its a commitment we can stick with

    Do you think this approach can help your clients move forward with their diabetes goals? Let us know if you choose to start implementing The Five Minute Journal approach in  your personal life or in your practice and how it’s helping you stay focused on the positive this year. Stay tuned to future blog posts as we “practice what we preach” and share our insights with you. 

    If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients. 

    Follow us on Twitter @AFreshPOVforYou

    Deb is employed by Dexcom, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

    Tami is employed by the University of Kentucky HealthCare Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

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  • Fresh Views

    5 Simple Strategies to Practice an Attitude of Gratitude

    November 23, 2022

    We both love a magnificent sunset! It’s always something we express gratitude for.  This one was captured during a trip to Destin, FL.

    Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.- Robert Braathe

    In this season of thanksgiving, today we’re sharing 5 of our favorite simple strategies to practice and attitude of gratitude. Expressing gratitude is a topic we have written about several times as a tool that can be used in solution-focused encounters with clients. And it is a practice that we both embrace regularly. 

    How can you get started with gratitude? 

    Here are 5 strategies to help develop daily gratitude habits: 

    1. Have gratitude reminders. These are simple cues to remind you to focus on gratitude daily. Maybe it’s an alarm on your phone, a bracelet or wristband, a photo, a magnet or even a post it note. And with that reminder, pause, take a breath and focus on being grateful in that moment.
    1. Keep a gratitude journal. We both have found this to be a good personal practice to express gratitude more readily and find things to be more grateful for. Some log entries in their journal weekly, and others daily. Our personal goal is to identify at least 3 things daily for which we’re grateful. While the goal is to write in the journal daily, sometimes life happens and weeks may go by without an entry, but we pick right back up with our entries. 
    1. Start a gratitude box. Keeping a box (jar, album, folder, or whatever works for you) filled with notes, pictures, and moments you are grateful for can bring a boost when needed. Tami keeps a folder on her desk and a file on her computer filled with nice notes and photos, as well as  an album on her phone of messages and moments she’s grateful for to refer back to when she needs a reminder. Deb has a bulletin board in her office that displays happy memories in photos, ticket stubs, quotes, flyers etc. that she can look at during working at any time.
    1. Voice or write down one (two, or three) good things that happened in your day. On the homefront, this is a gratitude practice Tami used with her son over the years. In the days when she would take and pick him up from school, she found that the drive time was a good time to learn about his day. That conversation always began with these words, “Tell me something good that happened today.” He knew he needed to answer that, acknowledging something good, before talking about the challenges of the day. 
    1. Use gratitude apps. There are a number of apps with a range of capabilities including sending reminders, sharing uplifting thoughts, and organizing memories for which you are grateful. We shared some favorites in this post. 

    If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients. 

    Follow us on Twitter @AFreshPOVforYou

    Deb is employed by Dexcom, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

    Tami is employed by the University of Kentucky HealthCare Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

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  • Fresh Views

    When Life Give You Lemons

    June 15, 2022
    Courtesy of Deb’s backyard lemon tree

    When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. – Proverb

    Hey, it’s Tami writing today!  The life circumstances of these past 2 weeks in my world brought this proverb to mind: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If you follow our blog, you know that our primary focus is on taking a solution-focused approach to life to positively impact the future, particularly life with diabetes…rather than focusing on problems. It’s all about how you respond. So when life hands you situations that may initially be perceived as a “problem” (a lemon, if you will), focusing on how that can ultimately be transformed into something sweet (lemonade, or better yet, diet lemonade!) is the game changer.

    So today, here are 5 reflections I want to share, relating from conversations with a couple of friends that have recently unexpectedly lost spouses/partners, Covid-19 rearing it’s ugly head, and transitions galore these last few weeks:

    1. Even in the tough days, try to be present and appreciate every minute of life. We’ve written in the past about the impact of finding joy and expressing gratitude.
    2. Rest and sleep are way more powerful in healing the mind and body than we give it credit for. Personally, the day seems more manageable when I get 8 hours of sleep instead of 6 ½.
    3.  A good belly laugh can make things seem not quite so dark or overwhelming. A perfectly timed meme from a friend has done just that for me. As comedian Milton Berle said, Laughter is an instant vacation. We’ve written about the  benefit of laughter here.
    4. Embrace the power of “can do”. One friend walking through a significant loss shared with me a “track” she plays in her mind, “You HAVE done xx. So you KNOW you can do it. You CAN do it again. You WILL do it.” She shared that this positive self-talk and doing more of what works has given her the momentum to keep moving forward. 
    5. I constantly remind myself that even the tough “lemon” days are part of my story. While I may not fully see it now, how I respond shapes my future. And I can share and use my experiences to impact and encourage others. 

    I hope these reflections that have become evident to me over the last few weeks are in some way encouraging and motivating to you, and can be shared with those clients you work with.

    We welcome anyone interested in our approach to Subscribe to our blog and we’ll email you when a new post is published!

    If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients. 

    Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @AFreshPOVforYou

    Deb is employed by Dexcom, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

    Tami is employed by the University of Kentucky HealthCare Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

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  • Fresh Views

    8 Tips to Take Into 2022 With You

    January 12, 2022
    Taking a memory into 2022 of a beautiful sunset on Hilton Head Island, SC

    What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year. – Vern McClellan

    WHO ARE WE? 

    In this new year, if you are new to our blog, we are solution-focused diabetes care and education specialists. We are passionate about doing diabetes care and education differently. Too much of life is spent focusing on problems. Instead, we believe in turning attention to possibilities, opportunities, and a fresh vision for the future. We see the benefit in stepping alongside our clients as “think partners” to focus on what’s important to them, what’s already going well, and build upon that to reach their goals so that they may live life to the fullest. We invite you to join us in doing the same if this is a new paradigm for you. We are advocates for person-centered, strengths-based language, and believe that self-compassion is essential when living with a chronic condition. 

    OUR MISSION

    As we welcome the new year, our Mission continues to be that We guide healthcare professionals in taking a solution-focused approach to practice to enable clients with diabetes to embrace possibilities, opportunities, and a fresh vision for the future.

    Our interest and passion around taking a solution-focused approach to practice (and life), means acknowledging what has gone well, acknowledging how that success was achieved, then identifying how to do more of that and build upon that moving forward.

    8 TIPS TO TAKE INTO 2022 WITH YOU:

    With the start of the new year we’ve been doing alot of reflection. We’ve pondered what has gone well for us, how we were able to achieve that, and how we can build on that. Today we’re sharing  8 tips that we’re taking into 2022 with us and we challenge you to do the same as well as share with your clients:

    1. Make yourself a priority once in a while. It’s not selfish. It’s necessary. Skimping on personal needs can be harmful to our overall well-being. When we don’t put ourselves first and take care of ourselves, certain mental and physical risks can develop and lead down an unhealthy path.
    1. Smile often and laugh more. Finding humor and laughter in the everyday world is a key opportunity to reduce stress. It can also decrease anxiety, fear, and help people cope with challenging situations. Personally, we often feel rejuvenated and ready to face the world again after a good belly laugh or a few silly moments. Suddenly the weight of the world is lifted off our shoulders. Learn more in our blog here.    
    1. Learn something new. Many studies show that learning new skills is a way to improve your life. Learning something new can even tie in with #1 above. It may be an “excuse” you need for some “me time”. An appointment with yourself – so to speak – and a break from work or family. Our big “learning something new” in the new year is learning how to host a podcast! Stay tuned, more to come on that!
    1. Take a daily gratitude walk. As you walk, reflect on and express gratitude for what you are thankful for in the day. It can help you feel less stressed and focus on the good. Find other tips to get started with daily gratitude practice in oru blog here.
    1. Talk positive to yourself, instead of listening to yourself. Rather than listening to your mind’s fears, doubts, and complaints, speak to yourself with words of affirmation and encouragement. Learn more about the power of self-acceptance and helping cultivate it in others in our blog here, and positive affirmations here.
    1. Focus on “get to” rather than “have to” each day.  It’s not about what we have to do. It’s about what we get to do. It’s easy to act as if we don’t have a choice, but in reality we DO have a choice on a great many things in life. We can choose our attitude, our actions, and how we view life. 
    1. Remember your “WHY”. Remember WHY you do what you do. When we forget the WHY, it’s easy to get burnt out.
    1. Look for ways to serve and care. Referring back to #2, smiling is an easy way to show you care and takes nothing but a little effort.  Maybe it’s helping someone achieve their goals or shovel their walk (this is top of mind for Tami as we write with 6-inches of snow outside her window). Think about it, if we do one act of kindness each day of the year, that can change 365 lives! 

    We were hoping to add “Travel whenever possible” to this list since we both were avid travelers before the pandemic. But not this year with yet another Covid-19 surge. So we’ll save that one for next year (fingers crossed)! 

    WHAT’S TO COME? 

    Throughout 2021 we launched a series of posts related to applying a solution-focused approach to diabetes technology. What will we write about in 2022? To start off, we will be sharing practical tips to transform primary care visits by incorporating solution-focused tactics to support diabetes management.

    We hope that  2022 will be kinder to all of us and that together we can learn how to help people with diabetes live their best life!

    We welcome anyone interested in our approach to Subscribe to our blog and we’ll email you when a new post is published!

    If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients. 

    Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @AFreshPOVforYou

    Deb is employed by Dexcom, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

    Tami is employed by the University of Kentucky HealthCare Barnstable Brown DIabetes Center, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

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  • Fresh Views

    Diabetes Technology and Solution-Focused Practice: 3 Gratitude Apps to Use

    December 1, 2021

    Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.- Robert Braathe

    Tami was expressing gratitude for this stunning sunset on a recent weekend escape to Isle of Palms, SC.

    Expressing Gratitude is a topic we have written about several times as a tool that can be used in solution-focused encounters with clients. And it is a practice that we both embrace regularly. Expressing gratitude has been shown to help people improve their health, deal with challenges, and feel more positive. Really any time is a great time to develop and express gratitude –  from the big things in life to the tiniest things (like the sunbeams coming in the window as we write this).

    Following on this “season of thanksgiving” and closing out our year-long series on “Diabetes Technology and Solution-Focused Practice”, today we’re sharing 3 Gratitude Apps that you may wish to recommend to your clients (or use yourself).  

    Gratitude: Journal App

    Rating 4.9
    Price: Free & paid versions
    System: iOS, macOS
    Features/Content: Daily journal, affirmations, reminders, prompts, vision board

    We love that this app incorporates both the practice of gratitude and using positive affirmations (which we wrote more about in a previous blog here.) The user can journal in the app what they’re grateful for and add images. Plus, the app sends prompts as a reminder to record what you’re grateful for – for instance, “What made you smile today?” The user can also write their own positive affirmations to practice positive self-talk. Some of Tami’s favorites are, “I am kind. I will not worry. I am created for a purpose.” And from there, the user can create a vision board to focus on their goals and live life with intention. Deb also likes the fact that this app allows you to easily share with friends. To reinforce gratitude practice, Deb started sending text messages to friends to express appreciation. You can also easily post to social media channels.

    365 Gratitude Journal

    • Rating 4.7
    • Price: Free & paid versions
    • System: iOS, macOS
    • Features/Content: Journal, virtual gratitude jar,  prompts, sharing gratitude with others

    This is a science-based gratitude journal that guides the user to see the world in a more positive light. The app sends daily gratitude prompts that are thought-provoking and shares stories that cultivate self-love, positivity, and joy (another aspect that we fully appreciate. See our blog about finding joy here.) One gratitude strategy we’ve recommended in our previous gratitude blogs is having a gratitude box (or jar) and this app incorporates a virtual gratitude jar for the user to fill with things they’re grateful for. The app even lets the user write and send a little gratitude card to someone.

    Grateful: A Gratitude Journal

    • Rating 4.6
    • Price: Free & paid versions
    • System: iOS
    • Features/Content: Journal,  prompts, reminders, easily review past entries & customize timeline

    This app is simple and is designed to make reflection and giving thanks easy. The app will send a daily prompt/question to answer to start you off.  It’s at the ready to capture a grateful moment on the go. For reflection, the app allows the user to easily navigate past entries by timeline (such as to check frame of mind last December) or by prompt (such as to see the things that made you smile this year). This app is helpful in changing the mindset to look at the good, rather than focusing on the negative in the day.

    We hope that you find these gratitude apps helpful to you and your clients!

    We welcome anyone interested in our approach to Subscribe to our blog and we’ll email you when a new post is published!

    If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients. 

    Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @AFreshPOVforYou

    Deb is employed by Dexcom, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

    Tami is employed by the University of Kentucky HealthCare Barnstable Brown DIabetes Center, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.

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  • Fresh Views

    Top 10 Things 2020 Taught Us

    January 27, 2021
    We were happy to see the sun set on 2020! 

    Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce. – Vivian Komori

    It’s been said that “Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.” That pretty much sums up 2020! We’ve all learned to “bounce” through the multitude of challenges before us this past year. Yet, through it all there were many positives that we @AFreshPOVforYou personally realized during those unprecedented days. And one of those positives was celebrating the second birthday of this blog!

    WHO ARE WE? 

    If you are new to our blog, we are solution-focused diabetes care and education specialists. We are passionate about doing diabetes care and education differently. Too much of life is spent focusing on problems. Instead, we believe in turning attention to possibilities, opportunities, and a fresh vision for the future. We see the benefit in stepping alongside our clients as “think partners” to focus on what’s important to them, what’s already going well, and build upon that to reach their goals so that they may live life to the fullest. We invite you to join us in doing the same if this is a new paradigm for you. We are advocates for person-centered, strengths-based language, and believe that self-compassion is essential when living with a chronic condition. 

    OUR MISSION

    As we welcome the new year, our Mission continues to be that We guide healthcare professionals in taking a solution-focused approach to practice to enable clients with diabetes to embrace possibilities, opportunities, and a fresh vision for the future.

    Our interest and passion around taking a solution-focused approach to practice (and life), means acknowledging what has gone well, acknowledging how that success was achieved, then identifying how to do more of that and build upon that moving forward.

    TOP 10 THINGS THAT 2020 TAUGHT US (in no particular order)

    1. Importance of connection with others and having support. We don’t take the human touch for granted after living through 2020. We learned that connection and support comes in many different forms. We found creative easy ways to Keep Friends Close, as well as family, through Zoom virtual happy hours, virtual graduations, virtual birthday celebrations; hugs through windows; and drive by celebrations. Find 5 ways to guide your clients to engage in ongoing diabetes support here.
    1. Do hard things early in the day to feel accomplished. We both work the best in the morning. While we’ve known this, it was never quite so clear as it was in 2020. We did the “hard” work early in the day when our minds were freshest, so that we felt accomplished. The stressful days left us tired and spent by days end, and after dinner to help us relax and “escape” we could often be found indulging in Netflix, Prime, and others (who knew you needed so many streaming channels?). We identified a time when things were working well (in the morning) and tried to do more of it. When working with clients, try to identify when they think the clearest and encourage them to focus on their diabetes at that time. Help them identify their “Exceptions”, those times when things are going well. If your client wears a CGM, help them identify a quiet time to retrospectively review their CGM reports to identify patterns and trends and develop 1-2 small behavior changes to move then towards their goals by “doing more of what is working well.”
    1. We CAN be healthy. While many have gained the “COVID 19 pounds”, and may have been over indulging during the past several months, we learned that we could continue to adopt healthy habits, even during a stay at home order. Deb likes and has been focusing on the Mediterranean eating plan that includes lots of healthy fruits and vegetables with less red meat. She also decided to go back to using her WW (formerly Weight Watchers) app to help her track her food, activity and sleep. Tami purchased an under desk elliptical machine to help keep her active during the week, and spent time enjoying great outdoor walking trails on the weekends while social distancing. While in ways it has been challenging being home so much, we learned that it can also be healthy. When eating at home there’s more control over the ingredients added to recipes. There also may be a little more time to prepare meals, or do “meal prep” for the week. Read more tips here.
    1. There are many possibilities, we just have to identify them. With restaurants closed and outside entertainment challenging, we quickly began to think of out of the box possibilities. Deb and her husband decided to have a “car picnic” after they picked up wine at a local winery. From the front seat of their car they could see the peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains while enjoying a picnic lunch and a cool glass of Rose. On the work front, taking a solution-focused approach to diabetes care and education can be a fresh new start and bring possibilities to light. Gather some tips from our blog here.
    1. Keep a mindset focused on finding solutions (rather than focusing on problems). We learned that in matters big and small, diabetes-related or not, by embracing a mindset that focuses on solutions, and channeling energy into leveraging strengths and possibilities, we can cultivate a solution-focused mindset. One that envisions success. One which helps manage stress. In our blog you’ll find 7 strategies you can use to step alongside your clients and support them in embracing a solution-focused mindset and managing stress.
    1. Acceptance and gratitude. While social distancing and stay at home orders in 2020 kept us from living out our plans for the year, we eventually came to accept that, and focus on what we could do and find gratitude and happiness in that. Read our tips on developing acceptance as a personal strength and helping cultivate it in others in our blog here, and tips to get started with daily gratitude practice here.
    1. The joy in giving. With life moving at a little slower pace, Tami found joy in giving to others. Small surprise “porch drops” on family and friends’ porches to brighten their day. Dropping by bags of food to be distributed to those in need in the community. She even took up baking bread as surprise drop-offs to those who would enjoy it. With the news coverage of families without food, Deb’s family and her workplace donated to www.feedingamerica.org on multiple occasions to support those in need. Sparking Joy in life and in diabetes education is an important element of our mission.
    1. Active listening is critical. With our daily Zoom meetings and family gatherings we learned that listening is crucial. It can be challenging to not “talk over” people when the virtual conversation includes many individuals. We couldn’t have “side bar” conversations unless they were by text or personal chat. We couldn’t read body language easily. Read more about how listening in a solution-focused practice can support the process of becoming a “think partner” with your clients.
    1. Resilience can be developed. How many virtual conferences or meetings have you attended in 2020? We attended more than we can count, and who knew just how successful they could be! While we missed the ability to be face-to-face with our friends and colleagues, we appreciated the opportunity to continue to learn and conduct business. We just kept going! That is what resilience is all about! Learn how you can build resilience in our blog here.
    1. Power of humor. How could we have survived the past year without humor! Laughing with friends online, reading silly memes on social media, and trying not to take ourselves too seriously. One of our dear colleagues and friends always provides us with comical relief and was no exception in 2020. You can sample our thoughts on humor in our blog here.
    Virtual happy hour laughs!

    2020 was a good teacher! Let’s embrace 2021 with New Year’s “solutions”, rather than “resolutions”

    Our challenge to you as we embark on this new year still facing struggles and uncertainty, is what if, instead of making New Year’s Resolutions this year (which require change and “fixing problems”), you instead guide your clients (and yourself) in making New Year’s Solutions? Who doesn’t like a solution after all? One way to identify solutions is to focus on things that have gone well in the past, and pinpoint how you can do more of that (rather than trying to change). One of the benefits of focusing on what went well, is that you can do it every day. Instead of dwelling on what you didn’t accomplish today, identify what was successful and try to do that “one thing” again tomorrow.

    WHAT’S TO COME? 

    Throughout 2020 we launched a series of posts, each revolving around a “word of the week” to inspire solution-focused thinking and practice. We embrace those words in practice and hope that you’ve found them impactful in your conversations too. What will we write about in 2021? Here are some of our ideas that we may write more about in the months to come: practical coaching tips; building your solution-focused question library; solution-focused behavior change; and incorporating solution-focused principles in a technology-enabled world. We’d love to hear from you, and learn about what you are interested in learning regarding incorporating a solution-focused approach in  your practice!

    We hope that  2021 will be kind to all of us and that together we can learn how to help people with diabetes live their best life!

    We welcome anyone interested in our approach to Subscribe to our blog and we’ll email you when a new post is published!

    If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients. 

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  • Fresh Views

    GRATITUDE: Today’s word to jump-start solution-focused practice

    November 25, 2020

    Gratitude turns what we have into enough. – Aesop

    Heart-shaped fall leaves in Tami’s yard that she acknowledged in gratitude

    In this season of Thanksgiving in the midst of the pandemic surge, we are being intentional in practicing gratitude – reminding ourselves of all that we have to be grateful for…including YOU, our readers and followers! The timing seemed perfect to focus on gratitude practices as part of taking a solution-focused approach to interactions with clients, leveraging things that they’re already doing well to build upon to generate solutions to realize future success.

    Do you think about gratitude during your daily routine? Is it a habit you practice? Is it a practice you encourage with your clients?

    TODAY’S WORD IS GRATITUDE

    The simple definition of gratitude is “a feeling of thankful appreciation for favors or benefits received; thankfulness.”  But the practice of gratitude means so much more.

    Gratitude is good for health

    Practicing gratitude is powerful. While the relationship is not fully understood, positive emotions such as expressing gratitude, are linked to healthier lifestyle choices. And healthy lifestyle choices including healthy eating and being active are in turn linked to overall health. According to the American Heart Association, several clinical trials show that engaging in a practice of gratitude can lower blood pressure and help the immune system. It’s also been noted that grateful people have healthier eating habits, are more physically active, have improved sleep, are less likely to smoke and abuse alcohol, and have higher rates of taking medications as prescribed. Several studies suggest that gratitude can decrease stress and anxiety by activating the areas in the brain that release feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine. It’s difficult to feel sorry for yourself or feel down if you’re practicing gratitude.

    Beautiful mountain scenery near Mt. Charleston, Nevada

    Here are 8 ways to help develop daily gratitude habits in this season of Thanksgiving: 

    1. Have gratitude reminders. These are simple cues to remind you to focus on gratitude daily. Maybe it’s an alarm on your phone, a bracelet or wristband, a photo, or a magnet. And with that reminder, pause, take a breath and focus on being grateful in that moment.
    2. Keep a gratitude journal. We both have found this to be a good personal practice to express gratitude more readily and find things to be more grateful for. Some log entries in their journal weekly, and others daily. Our personal goal is to identify at least 3 things daily for which we’re grateful. While the goal is to write in the journal daily, sometimes life happens and weeks may go by without an entry, but we pick right back up with our entries. Even if we don’t write it down, we still try to practice mindfulness and pause and be grateful when we see or experience something that brings us joy. 
    3. Notice the beauty in nature each day. When taking a recharge break sitting in her back yard a few days ago, Tami noticed stunning heart-shaped redbud leaves falling. She looked around her and realized she was surrounded by “hearts”, prompting her to practice gratitude. Deb was visiting her son recently and enjoyed a beautiful hike out in nature near Mt. Charleston, Nevada and was not only grateful to be in nature but also to be spending time with her family.
    4. Start a gratitude box. Keeping a box (jar, album, folder, or whatever works for you) filled with notes, pictures, and moments you are grateful for can bring a boost when needed. 
    5. Voice or write down one (two, or three) good things that happened in your day. This is a practice Tami uses routinely with her clients to turn the focus to what’s going well.  She uses this as well on the home front with her family. In these stressful days it’s so easy to focus on all the chaos in the world. This mindful gratitude practice helps to refocus on the good things rather than the challenges of the day.
    6. Use gratitude apps. There are a number of apps with a range of capabilities including sending reminders, sharing uplifting thoughts, and organizing memories for which you are grateful.
    7. Reach out to a family member or friend via call, text, video chat, email, or an old-fashioned hand written note to let them know how much you appreciate them or to compliment them. 
    8. Post  quotes, thoughts, and images that remind you to be grateful. Tami’s desk has an array of colorful post-it notes with such on them. On her home refrigerator can be found pictures with family and friends that bring her joy, along with positive affirmations. Deb has a wall of picture tiles in her entry-way that remind her of happy experiences with family and friends that she’s grateful for.

    EACH WEEK WE INVITE READERS TO PARTICIPATE IN A SOLUTION-FOCUSED CHALLENGE… This week, we challenge you to support your clients in developing their own gratitude practices. In addition to the ideas above, here are 3 guidelines you can challenge them with:

    1. Find a daily time to practice gratitude and try to be consistent. Maybe it’s when you get up in the morning. Maybe it’s before you go to bed at night. Maybe it’s when you’re exercising.
    2. Write what you feel. Don’t censor it.  
    3. Refrain from making the list repetitive. Be specific, finding new ways to approach gratitude.

    We wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! Even though you may not be with the family and friends you typically celebrate with, let’s all be grateful for what we have today.

    We welcome anyone interested in our approach to Subscribe to our blog and we’ll email you when a new post is published!

    If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients. 

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  • Fresh Views

    HUMOR: Today’s word to jump-start solution-focused practice

    August 19, 2020

    Laughter is an instant vacation. – Milton Berle

    Given the stress, anxiety, and chaos that COVID-19 is still raining upon the world, we’ve been looking for opportunities to laugh and find humor in our everyday world. Earlier this week, that came in the form of a virtual happy hour (pictured above) with dear colleagues at the close of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES) virtual meeting. A special shout out to Lorena Drago for being the “hostess with the mostest” and donning a blonde wig and festive party attire for the celebration! 

    You may be super busy these days and have many things on your mind, so we’re hoping today’s blog can help you take a short stress break, identify personal opportunities to laugh, and consider how you can look for moments to incorporate humor in encounters with your clients and diffuse stressful conversations.

    Today’s word is HUMOR: 

    Finding humor and laughter in the everyday world is a key opportunity to reduce stress. Personally, we often feel rejuvenated and ready to face the world again after a good belly laugh or a few silly moments. Suddenly the weight of the world is lifted off our shoulders. 

    Research has shown that not only can humor reduce stress, it can decrease anxiety and fear, and help people cope with challenging situations. Humor can instill a more lighthearted perspective and make challenges seem less threatening. Laughter increases hormones in the body that reduce stress, decrease pain, and can even improve the immune system by supporting T-cell development. Humor can instill a sense of power, especially during times when feeling powerless. In fact, we have documented through our research that humor increases resilience in diabetes management and is a key factor to living well with diabetes. You can read more about the research findings in our recently published research paper, Applying a Solution-Focused Approach to Life With Diabetes: Insights Gleaned via Twitter published in July in The Diabetes Educator journal (). In the study, laughter and humor were described by all participants as essential for overcoming the burden associated with living with a serious chronic condition.Strength and resilience were often equated with a sense of humor when faced with challenging situations

    Here are 5 ways that we have been finding opportunities for humor which we hope may spur some ideas for you and that you can suggest to your clients:

    1 – Get together and laugh with friends: Whether this is via Zoom or in a social-distanced driveway happy hour. Fun virtual backgrounds can add laughter for virtual gatherings.

    2 – Social Media cartoons, memes and videos: We have a couple of friends that also help us start each day with a funny cartoon or meme posted on Facebook. We look forward to that chuckle as we head off to our home office for work. Taking a mid-day break and searching for a good laugh is also good medicine. 

    3 – Binge watch comedy shows: Like Deb, you may have older kids home again with many schools and colleges being virtual. Deb’s found that watching old shows with her daughter has been a great bonding experience and opportunity to laugh. The current binge is Gilmore Girls (now up to Season 3).  Any suggestions for the next show?

    4 – Smile every day,  even when it’s hard: Starting the day off with a smile can help impact your mood.  You’ve heard the old saying “Fake it until you make it.” Well, saying that you’re going to have a good day and find humor in your day can really make a difference.

    5 – Laugh at yourself: If you tend to take everything very serious, especially these days, finding ways to relax a little and laugh at mistakes, misfortunes and circumstances can make life easier. Laughter connects us with others and most people find that laughter is contagious. The picture below candidly caught us sharing contagious laughter a few years back. This photo still makes us smile and is a gratitude reminder everytime we look at it. You can learn more about gratitude reminders in our post here and about Finding Joy in our post here.

    Each week we invite readers to participate in a solution-focused challenge. We encourage you to ask your clients this week what they have been doing in their life to find opportunities to laugh! Discuss with them that finding humor in the everyday world is healthy for them both physically and mentally.  If you are doing telehealth meetings and you see something that makes a person unique in their home, maybe you can ask them to tell you about its significance, maybe there is a light hearted story to tell. 

    Try out one or more of the strategies we shared today, and reach back to  let us know how you’re doing! We’d love to help you de-stress and focus on a positive mindset.

    We welcome anyone interested in our approach to Subscribe to our blog and we’ll email you when a new post is published!

    If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients. 

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