• Fresh Views

    Inspire self-care with your words

    September 13, 2023

    Self-care is how you take your power back. – Lalah Delia

    We recently returned from the ADCES23 conference in HOT Houston and are still processing all that we heard and learned from the speakers and exhibitors! This was an extra special conference as we were celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Association. As Past Presidents, both Tami and Deb were recognized on-stage during the opening session. There were so many special events and opportunities to network with colleagues and friends, both old and new.

    As we close out our summer self-care series, two sessions that particularly resonated with us that we want to share were presented by. Lauren Plunkett, RDN, LD, CDCDES, Frame a Healthy Relationship with Food Using Nutrition-Focused Language Skills and an engaging presentation by co-presenters Dr. Natalie Bellini, Dr. Diana Isaacs, and Dr. Sean Oser, Use Time in Range to Congratulate, Celebrate, Recognize, Align and Partner. (Lauren’s presentation is available On-Demand if you registered for the conference and didn’t catch it live.) All of these speakers emphasized the power of words and how we, as healthcare professionals (HCPs), can inspire self-care through the words that we use by using empowering language.

    Optimistic Coaching & A Positive Food Vocabulary

    Lauren, a person living with diabetes (PWD) reminded us that PWD have it in themselves to be exceptional! She acknowledged the significant impact that diabetes has on emotional health and that awareness of emotional health can help sharpen communication skills.She encouraged leading client/patient encounters with a positive attitude and engaging in “optimistic coaching” to support self–efficacy and quality of life. GIven that she’s an RDN, her particular focus was around addressing immediate needs and using positive food vocabulary, such as “colorful”, “flavorful”, “nourishing”, and “abundance”. She reframed food as “energetic nourishment” and that eaters focus on quality and addition (such as eating more plants, more fiber) rather than subtraction. 

    Asking Questions and Focusing on the Positive

    During the discussion on time in range (TIR) the speakers emphasized that getting to know your patients can help to understand their daily lives which will lead to a greater understanding of their challenges and successes with diabetes management. When reviewing ambulatory glucose profile (AGP) data, HCPs were encouraged to find something positive to discuss, no matter how small. Only focusing on the negative is not empowering. As we @AFreshPOVforYou have discussed before, these presenters reminded the audience to not focus on data as “good” or “bad” but as neutral in order to help reduce the stigma often associated with diabetes. In addition, the presenters recommended technology to support people with diabetes in their management. While this ADCES23 presentation is not on-demand, we’re told there may be a repeat at the December ADCES Technology Conference.

    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.

    Read More
  • Fresh Views

    Helping others succeed can be your biggest success: 5 simple ways

    August 16, 2023

    The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed – Adam Grant

    In a tiny town near Naxos, Greece, the local Artisans support each other by partnering in a weekly “shop walk.” These are handcrafted pottery air balloons Deb saw while visiting this summer.

    Helping others is a natural extension of our role as diabetes care and education specialists. As echoed in the words of the great Martin Luther King, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?” While we continue our summer self-care series and have written in the past about the importance of self-kindness, attention on “other-focused” acts  and concern for others leads to a stronger sense of purpose, deeper learning, meaning, happiness and richer relationships. 

    Today through a solution-focused lens we offer 5 simple ways to help clients/patients succeed:

    1. Inspire self-care with our choice of  words. We’ve written several blogs on the power of words and person-first language used in encounters with patients/clients.
    2. Remember the details of other people’s lives. Your ability to be a positive impact increases significantly when the other person knows that you truly care about the details of their life. Maybe you keep notes on patients you’re working with. Tami often uses the “sticky note” feature in Epic electronic health record to make reminder notes about things important to her patients…pet’s name, favorite food, spouse/children’s names, etc. 
    3. Share your knowledge. Having just returned from the ADCES23 conference in Houston, TX this is on our minds. We are continually educating ourselves to stay up to date on the latest guidelines, recommendations, and technology so that we can share with others .
    4. Engage in optimistic coaching to support self-efficacy and quality of life. Acknowledge what the individual is doing well and what has gone well. Determine together how they can succeed in doing more of that.
    5. Celebrate successes, big and small. When you recognize successes it’s easier to build upon those. Maybe a client is trying to lose 20 pounds. By breaking that desired 20 pound weight loss goal into smaller 5 pound goals, together you can celebrate the small 5 pound wins together building toward the bigger goal.

    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.

    Read More
  • Fresh Views

    You are the most important person in your life: 16 tips for self-care

    August 2, 2023
    Morning tea with a view of the sea, Santorini, Greece

    Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. — Anne Lamott

    Continuing on in our “Summer Self-Care” series where we’re sharing simple tips and ideas to help focus on strengths in a solution-focused way that you may share with patients/clients, as well as implement in your own life. Today our topic is self-care itself.

    Simply put, self-care is the practice of looking after your own mental and physical health. Taking time for self-care is actually necessary for our well-being. Despite the perception of some, self-care isn’t selfish. Too often we find ourselves running around and doing a hundred different things at once. There seems to be some glory in “multi-tasking”, when in reality it induces stress and makes it hard to just breathe and reflect. 

    Today we share 16 simple ideas of how you can practice self-care, including ways we personally are practicing self-care.

    1. Sit and be still alone with your thoughts for 10-15 minutes. Deb practiced this in the above photo during a recent Greece tour. While her days were filled with activity and fun, taking a pause before the day started provided her with self-care. And the view was a definite plus!
    2. Journal about how you’re feeling. Learn more about our experience doing so here.
    3. Get out in nature. We’ve written about the benefit of being in nature here.  
    4. Listen to your favorite music.
    5. Be active in a way that feels good to you. 
    6. Organize or rearrange your space. Read our thoughts on bringing order to chaos here.
    7. Spend quality time with friends or family that pour into you.
    8. Enjoy a long bath or shower.
    9. Allow yourself to sleep-in. This is a favorite of Tami’s on the weekend. Spending every weekday living “the grind”, she really welcomes this luxury
    10. On the topic of sleep, try sleeping with a weighted blanket. This is another self-care practice of Tami’s. It brings calming, reduces stress and anxiety, and helps promote better sleep.
    11. Let yourself have a good cry (sometimes we just need it). We’ve heard it said that tears are the safety valve to the heart.
    12. Take a break from the news and social media. 
    13. Write down 5 things you love about yourself. Post them where you’ll see them.
    14. If you enjoy scents, light a favorite candle or turn on a diffuser with a favorite essential oil. Lavender, rosemary and chamomile are particularly calming.
    15. Write down 5 things you’re grateful for. We share more gratitude practices here and here.  
    16. Have realistic optimism, meaning you confront the situation you may be in, rather than thinking you’re helpless and powerless and avoid it. We’ve shared more thoughts on this here. 

    Granted, no amount of self-care can completely mitigate all of the struggles that may arise. And everyone’s self-care needs are different. Yet, implementing more self-care and being compassionate with yourself is a process that will be worth it. As Tami shared her “New Year’s Solution” back in January, “1% effort always beats 0% effort.”

    We have been reflecting over the year, and the progress that we’ve made on our own personal “New Year’s Solutions”. Deb shared an update in our last post here. Wondering about Tami’s progress in embracing  “1% effort always beats 0% effort”?  I’m choosing to continue to embrace and build on this principle that’s worked for me before. Rather than talking myself into what I can’t fit in, I’m focusing on what I CAN do, with the energy and focus I DO have. So a few positives, I HAVE been using my under desk elliptical at work when on long Zoom meetings, especially when fitting fitness in otherwise seems a challenge that day. I’m not perfect by any means, but I’m making progress. I keep 5 pound hand weights by the bed and HAVE been using those at night while watching a favorite show before bed. Again, not perfect every night, but any is better than none!.

    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.

    Read More