World Diabetes Day 14 November 2024
This year's World Diabetes Day theme is to prioritise the wellbeing of people with diabetes
People with diabetes face daily challenges managing their condition at home, work, and school. They must be resilient, organised, and responsible in continuously monitoring their blood sugar levels so that they can take action as required. This can affect both their physical and mental wellbeing.
Diabetes care often focuses only on blood sugar, leaving many feeling overwhelmed trying to fit this into already busy and stressful lives.
Wellness and wellbeing is about making a little time in each day to focus on your physical and mental health and relationships to press pause and do something you enjoy.
Wellness activities can be many different things which have benefits for people with diabetes, as well as being generally good for everyone. They can help to reduce stress, improve your mood, think more positively and give you more energy - then you will feel more in control and able to cope with daily challenges. They can include:
- Being physically active
- Eating more healthily
- Doing activities that don't involve computers and gadgets
- Spending time with friends and loved ones
- Learning to think more positively
- Trying things which give you a sense of purpose - e.g. volunteering or trying new things to challenge yourself
- Connecting with others who have diabetes to share experiences
Diabetes awareness 2024
For the whole of November Diabetes UK are encouraging people to challenge themselves and complete a wellness activity every day to boost their wellbeing, raising money for the charity if possible. Find out more about this challenge and the benefits of wellness activities on the Diabetes UK website.
As part of the focus on wellbeing World Diabetes Day is encouraging people who live with diabetes to complete a survey and share their experience of how it affects their physical and mental wellbeing. The International Diabetes Federation are collecting information to support their call for wellbeing to be put at the heart of diabetes care.
Take part in the World Diabetes Day Wellbeing Survey
Information from the Trust
More about diabetes and how you can help yourself to cope living with diabetes
Visit our diabetes webpage for information on what exactly is diabetes, symptoms of diabetes, how diet and lifestyle choices can make a difference. This includes a webinar video on diet and lifestyle choices for diabetes from the Public Health Collaboration.
Blood sugar testing methods for Thalidomide survivors
Dan Howarth from Diabetes UK has spoken to us about technology that may help overcome challenges of blood sugar testing for diabetes in thalidomide survivors. Read our article
Make positive changes to your lifestyle
Contact us
If you would like more help managing diabetes or to make lifestyle changes call our Health & Wellbeing team on 01480 474074.
