• Fresh Views

    European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)…here we come!

    Dreams don’t work unless you take action. The surest way to make your dreams come true is to live them. ― Roy T. Bennett


    From a peak overlooking the harbor in Monaco


    The last couple of weeks have taken us on the road for work, followed by a few days of relaxation with friends while taking in the astoundingly beautiful French Riviera. Throughout our travels we explored many historic sites, hundreds of years old, nestled high up on peaks among bustling cities below.

    Historic fortress in Cannes, France

    We explored countless peaks and valleys. In fact, our home for the week was nestled in the valley below the ancient village of Eze, France.

    Valley below Eze Village, France

    Red rock mountains by the sea near Saint-Raphael, France

    In our recent blog Peaks and Valleys in Life, we discussed that peaks and valleys are catalysts for positive change, both in life with diabetes and life in general. And on that note, we have some sensational news to share with you – a definite “peak” we experienced while on our travels!  We received notification that an abstract we submitted to the 55th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) has been accepted for an oral podium presentation! This Annual Meeting, held in a different European city each year, draws more than 15,000 delegates from over 130 countries and includes more than 1,200 talks and presentations on the latest results in diabetes research by leading experts in the field. We will be presenting the findings from our research on “Perceptions of life with diabetes revealed through a solution-focused brief therapy exercise via Twitter”. If you plan to attend this conference, we invite you to join us at our presentation. More information to come.

    Many of our readers participated in this Twitter Chat and provided important and insightful perspectives that led to the fascinating findings we will present. Here is a sneak peek that we shared a few months back, Let’s Learn from the DOC!  Our goal, as we present at conferences this coming year, is to bring attention to the concepts of solution focused brief therapy and coaching.  To focus on “exceptions” or situations that are going well, instead of always focusing on the problems that need to be fixed. If we spend our time using a strengths based approach we can envision possibilities and opportunities to help people move forward towards their unique vision of their future.

    We made it back from France just in time for the start of the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions meeting. Stop back by over the next couple of weeks as we focus on some of the highlights from that meeting.

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  • Fresh Views

    Seeing with new eyes!

    The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes. – Marcel Proust

    Have you ever felt “at anchor in the harbor,” floating in a particular place,  prevented from moving anywhere by the proverbial boat anchor and obstacles surrounding you?  Patients and clients living with diabetes that we’ve worked with over the years have frequently shared that managing diabetes leaves them weighted down by the challenges they face moment to moment, hour to hour, day to day. These challenges in turn may lead to feeling stagnant, immovable, with no obvious way to move forward. With that said, the harbor photo taken this week during a pause in the Thanksgiving holiday travels, brought us @AFreshPOVforYou to take a moment and reflect on the above words of Marcel Proust, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes.”

    What if rather than focusing on the obstacles and what’s immediately around you, instead you look up. You look about. You see with new eyes. You see the bigger picture (and maybe even a stunning sunset!). When we @AFreshPOVforYou incorporate solution focused brief therapy into life with diabetes, we guide clients to focus on the “desired future,” rather than on past or current problems.  We help people take small steps to move in the direction of that desired future – much like pulling up the anchor and setting sail to see what might be possible with new eyes. As Ann Bodmer Lutz, the author of Learning Solution-Focused Therapy notes, “Solutions for patients are not scientific puzzles to be solved by practitioners, but rather changes in perceptions.”  

    Think about a time when you’ve had success and recall:

     

    • What was different then?
    • How did you feel?
    • What were you doing or seeing in yourself?
    • What were your perceptions of things then?
    • How can you change your perception today so you can move forward again?

     

    Stay tuned to future blog posts as we share stories of success.

    Wherever holiday travels take you, we encourage you to take a pause and look around you with new eyes. Then acknowledge and be thankful for any fresh views, beautiful views, or uplifting moments. We call this “imprinting.”  We’ll share more about imprinting in our next blog post.

    Those of us @AFreshPOVforYou wish you and your family a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving!