Social health is very closely related to mental health and can often be identified as a part of it. But there’s a difference. As we see it, the main point of how we define social health is the way we interact with other people. In a diabetes context, mostly it’s how we react to the questions about diabetes, how we handle food choices when going out, and other similar issues. So we’d also like to share some points to work on that affect the social health of people living with diabetes:

• Are you being comfortable talking about diabetes with your friends or others? We know that sometimes it’s hard to share such things and we think that it’s ok to skip this topic. But you should have a strategy of how to deal with situations if the other person doesn’t know about your conditions.

• You know better about your diabetes management than others. You know how to handle food choices and blood sugar control. It’s normal if your and other people’s opinions differ.

• Learn to say no to “food pushers” or those telling you that there are ingredients you can’t eat.

• You shouldn’t feel embarrassed or be afraid of rejection. Develop a strategy of how you’ll deal with food when you’re going out. Think about these questions or find your own. Anything, that, in your opinion, negatively affects your social health, needs to be fixed as early as possible. And please remember that optimism is the faith that leads to achievement!