I am a big fan of the show Big Brother and a line they use throughout the premise of the show is to "Expect the Unexpected." If anyone watches the show, you know that crazy, unexpected things happen all the time. While it is not realistic to prepare for unexpected events, half the battle is being mentally prepared for unexpected events to occur.
Expect the unexpected is a line that holds true with diabetes and just with life in general. Expecting the unexpected with diabetes is something that I have slowly come to grips with.
Each day is unique and I cannot rely on what worked the prior day to work for today (This is a very frustrating thing to come to grips with!!).
With the tsunami of unexpected events to happen this year with COVID-19, the unexpected is constantly happening with each day. Obviously, nobody could have mentally prepared for a global pandemic and this unexpected turn of events threw us all for a loop. Like many of you all, my life as I knew it, was put on pause in the beginning of March. My work situation was transitioned 100% to a work at home environment since March 9th (I work in New York City and was commuting into the city every day). My routine was totally squashed and I had to re-adjust to the new work/life arrangements. This of course affected my diabetes management.
At the beginning of this quarantine, I was waking up for work much later than I normally would if I had to commute into the city, I would literally eat all day because food was just in front of me, I would crack open an occasional drink during the day (just because I could), and my workout regime had totally halted. I was also (and still am) working at the same kitchen island as my fiance because we currently live in a 1-bedroom apartment with minimal space where we can work. My routine that I used to have was non-existent and my blood sugar levels were all over the place.
After some time and realization that I will be in this situation most likely until the end of 2020, I was finally able to establish a solid routine. I observed how my blood sugar levels reacted throughout the day and was able to establish a new profile within my tandem pump labeled 'quarantine,' (For those of you who are not familiar with the tandem t:slim x2 pump, you can set multiple profiles with different settings for basal rates, carb ratios, target numbers, etc.). With the lack of separation between work and life, I tried to draw the line between the two as much as I could and got used to the fact that I would be working and living in the same space as my fiance for quite some time (Good thing I like this guy + may need to invest in a desk). I also established a workout routine, which started out with virtual yoga classes and FaceTime workouts with my sister and shifted in April to Peloton workouts since my fiance purchased the bike for my birthday! (Side note: The Peloton bike has become my new favorite workout and I highly recommend it).
While I do my best in training my mind to expect the unexpected, COVID-19 was definitely a hard one to get used to. However, with slow adaption and adjustments to this new normal for now, my life has regained some normalcy with a pretty good routine in place. My days aren't 100% perfect but I now feel that I am better equipped to handle more unexpected events that 2020 will inevitably throw at us.
Moral of the Story: Expect that the smooth road of life that you are traveling on will most likely have a few bumps and maybe even some roadblocks along the way. While you cannot prepare for an unexpected event, it is helpful to be in the mindset that things will be ever-changing. That unexpected event (or events) may knock you down but never let that knock you out. It may be easier said than done but adapting and adjusting to the change will help tremendously to move past the event and go back to that smooth road or even travel down a new road.
My at-home-gym keeps growing! We may have a fully equipped living room gym by the end of 2020!