You can’t keep doing this! You are killing yourself slowly. You have diabetes; it’s not going away; just get over it! These thoughts and more swirl in my cloudy head as I walk into work feeling like crap with no idea what my blood sugar is and 3 cups of coffee with calorie-containing cream down the hatch. Last check was in the middle of the night and was 317 which I corrected for so there is good chance that I was low when I woke up. My testing kit was even right on the dresser near the bed (where I nearly left it) but I still did not test. Testing is just not a part of my routine or habit, especially in the morning when I drag myself out of bed, make coffee and get ready for work. Seems like a simple fix – just do it consistently and it will become habit. Ha! Some days it is easy to just do that first blood sugar but most days it doesn’t even cross my mind until I start feeling crappy.
So poking around the web I came across this quote from Proverbs: “As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” Hmmm… Strong image to make a point. Is the lesson that constantly repeating (regurgitating) bad habits is as disgusting as a dog returning to it’s own vomit?
So poking around the web I came across this quote from Proverbs: “As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” Hmmm… Strong image to make a point. Is the lesson that constantly repeating (regurgitating) bad habits is as disgusting as a dog returning to it’s own vomit?
Then I came across a reference to something I have either heard or seen before: that it takes 21 days to form a habit. I’m going to give it a try to make those first-thing-in-the-morning-blood-sugars a habit.
It takes at least 21 days to form a habit. This means that you have to do something at least 21 times before it begins to become part of your everyday routine. So . . .I made a sheet to check off the days & will keep you posted.
1. Decide exactly what you want to do. Write it down and post it where you can see it every day, like your bathroom mirror. Be as specific as possible.
2. Schedule time to do what you want to do. Again, it takes 21 days to form a habit, so schedule at least 21 days on your calendar and don't let anything get in the way of your schedule. If you miss one of your scheduled days, it's best to start over and schedule
another 21 days. You must be consistent and dedicated to doing what you want to do.
3. Once you reach your 21 days, congratulations! Don't stop now though, schedule another 21 days, and then another and so on, until you do those things you want to do, without even thinking about them . . . like brushing your teeth.
7 comments:
Great idea, Melissa. I recently created some specific, measurable goals that I am tracking, but I haven't posted them anywhere but on my blog.
I like the idea of a more visible reminder.
Checking bgs is so fundamental for me to achieve good results. That is an excellent goal to have!
Good luck and keep us posted. :)
that's cool. hopefully if i ride my bikefor 21 days it will become a habit and i can get some exercise!
Great approach to it. A goal that you can do, and make a habit of it.
I was glad to see that you are starting (relatively) small with focusing on that single, first thing in the AM BG test. You CAN do that, and you can do that consistently.
Build off the positive momentum and buzz of success that you get from this, and set another small goal when you are ready.
Great work - I believe in you!
Melissa - can you send me your email so I can send you the five random questions? :)
kerri@sixuntilme.com
Oh, I hope this works! Keep us posted.
Melissa:
Best wishes and luck on getting your blood-testing groove going. I know from experience (like everyone else) easier said than done. One trick that works for me: In order to test, and maintain regular 7-8 tests a day, is logging. I have to write down my results and be able to see them - that enables me to know exactly how I'm doing, what the trends are, and that I've done them. That's my only motivation to do the test. But once it happens, results are good (as long as I'm doing what I'm supposed to...)
Melissa,
Best of Luck! You can do it!!
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