The_Dia_Being_Mindset

I'm Jean (the_dia_being_mindset on all socials) and I have lived with type 1 diabetes for 17 years (I can officially drive my diabetes right?).

Welcome to my new dia-being space! 

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I'm from Ireland and have been blogging on Instagram about diabetes for almost 3 years now. I have been advocating for access to diabetes care and technology for the same amount of time, and have been advocating for myself since my diagnosis at the age of 11!

I'm a student dietitian, diabetes advocate, sea swimmer, dancer (in the kitchen), singer (in the shower), and writer (of this blog and of my social media posts!)

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SO I starting blogging on Instagram about living with type 1 diabetes on the 28th of December 2020! I didn't know people blogged about diabetes, I didn't think it was allowed.. we were to get on it with, be praised for "never talking about it" and doing everything despite it (that stigma eh?)! 

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My first few blog posts were faceless, I wanted a space to be honest about I felt living with diabetes, neither positive nor negative - just honest - just BEING with diabetes: hence dia-being! 

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Some funny synchronicities:

Little did I know at the time I started advocating the 3 year theme for World Diabetes Day 2021 - 2023 was #AccessToCare by the International Diabetes Federation (I only discovered there was a World Diabetes Day in 2018 when I was looking for an international day to celebrate when I was running my first ever 10k so that it would have a more significant meaning - oh how that has escalated if you know my story!)

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I was diagnosed in 2006, the same year the blue circle was established as the international symbol of diabetes by the United Nations. 

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With this, I don't know who I was trying to reach... I think initially I wanted to reach the people who had minimised, compared and negated my experience; I wanted them to take in the true toll of diabetes without having an opportunity to talk back, to just take it in.

I was exhausted from trying to justify and explain so much, that can't honestly be explained or seen, to people who've never experienced what I have with diabetes (and hopefully they never will).

 

Finding the diabetes online community re-shifted my focus and priorities so far away from this objective. I came in to this community by accident, crying and screaming expecting to be met with the usual negation, feeling unheard and misunderstood, to instead be met with genuine empathy, and "it's okay, we understand". I find validation of my feelings when I'm upset immediately calming, who knew? (Have you ever been upset and someone told you it's not a big deal, it's not worth crying about, and there's worse - and has that helped?)

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Not only do I have so much peace in so many ways since finding my people, I no longer worry about explaining myself to people who aren't interested in listening; I'm not searching for the belief and validation of my experience anymore from people who can never give me that. Better again, being a part of this community made me realise that my experience does not need to be approved by someone else or statistically likely to be real; I in fact was not imagining how debilitating I have found diabetes at times, the chaos of it is indeed very real, and I don't need to sugarcoat (excuse the pun) my experience to make someone else feel comfortable. I finally feel safe to just be whatever state I am in my diabetes, whatever that is on a given day, and I actually feel like I am finally who I am where I am right now, surrounded by people who genuinely love me and not the idea of me. Better again, I feel safe to not just accept where I am and take what I'm given, but to advocate for better.

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I cannot put into words how the diabetes (online) community has changed my life (even though I kind of just did in the last paragraph). 

I am so excited to give back in this new way of sharing on a more widely accessible platform - so I've started paying rent for a bigger dia-being space to talk and write, and who knows - maybe I'll paint a picture and sing a song about it.. or start a podcast!

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I'm not just excited to share my experiences and thoughts here, I'm excited to share my learnings as an advocate and as a dietitian to be. I am extremely lucky that since I've started this journey of advocacy through policy work on a local and international level, and through my social media, that so many incredible organisations such as #dedoc°, IDF Europe, and Diabetes Scotland have supported my journey and efforts massively. They have helped me grow and learn so much as an advocate. I have been very privileged to attend all of the major diabetes conferences over the last year from EASD, ISPAD, ATTD, ADA, to the IDF Congress, and I have spoken at key events in diabetes history such as the IDF Europe Breakfast Symposium at the European Parliament and at the Declaration by the WHO and IDF Europe on accelerating action on diabetes (sign and endorse the declaration here). I've also been trusted with setting up a peer support group in Edinburgh!

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Wherever I've turned to, I've been met with support, encouragement, and guidance. I haven't been "given a voice", I've been nurtured and supported to use the one I already have and to advocate.

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What started with me just dipping my toes in the water of the diabetes online community, resulted in someone coming up behind me and pushing me off the diving board into the deep end. Coming up on my 3 year anniversary of being honest about diabetes and advocating for diabetes, what better way than to create and share more! Stay tuned and subscribe below!