How does everyone deal with the stress and burnout of this constant, relentless disease? I’m having a hard time and could use some advice.
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Hi @CindyGee85716 and welcome to the forum. Sometimes the best thing is just to talk and share your feelings. This forum is a safe place for you to pour out your frustrations, as well as share your learnings, successes and things that didn’t work so well. There is also a Resources tab where you can go to search for local groups and chapters in your area where you might be able to connect with people in person.
As far as internal work, some people have a favorite form of exercise that helps (with diabetes and life in general). Taking/making time to engage in a favorite hobby or activity can be helpful too: a couple of hours reading, painting or whatever the case may be can sometimes work wonders.
And of course there is professional counseling - some people find it invaluable.
Hopefully you will get some responses that really connect with you.
Looking forward to your contributions!
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@CindyGee85716 Welcome Cindy to the JDRF TypeOneNation Community Forum!
In addition to the good suggestions posted by Dorie @wadawabbit, I will suggest something certain folks find controversial - but it has worked well for me. You didn’t mention for how long you have lived with diabetes nor the gadgets and tools you are using. I’ve [and Dorie too] have lived with diabetes for many decades, long before there was the simple digital BG Meter, and would see my blood sugar tested only a couple of times a year; now my diabetes is managed using every conceivable tool imagined and these gadgets can give many alerts and alarms that could strongly influence stress and frustration.
My suggestion is to first learn the basics of diabetes management, and watch trends in BG and SG [if you use a CGM] and have a pretty good understanding of how different activities and foods affect YOUR glucose levels. Look at the “broader picture” of your diabetes management, set your goals and don’t follow [BG/SG] numbers - concentrate on how you feel at the end of a day and try not to panic just because that awesome lunch splurge caused your glucose to sky-rocket. DO, keep alarms/alerts on for low or potentially hypoglycemic events and take preventive action.
My bottom line has been to enjoy my life, do everything I want to do, be active and productive and MAKE diabetes fit my lifestyle. I try to keep diabetes from governing my life.
Enjoy life, Cindy!
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Hello @CindyGee85716. Can you tell us a little bit about what feel bad right now? I don’t want to say “I like t take walks” if you just had surgery for a complication.
I deal with the stress by taking a break. Instead of checking the CGM a few times an hour I look at it a few times a day and dose fewer corrections. This works because I am at a place where my T1D is well controlled and if I don’t I get burned out.
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hi @CindyGee85716 Welcome to our forum. When I wished every day that I didn’t have diabetes then I suffered from burnout. When I was angry every day when I was irritated that other people could eat whatever they want, then I got burnout. When I tried to have perfect blood sugar (70-90 mg/dl all the time, every day) I got burnout. For me it was anything I was doing in my life that I could not sustain, then I would go through this cyclic horrible exhaustion, and it would lead to bad behaviors and then when I was sick of feeling like that it would begin again.
for my case, I had to change the things in my life that I could change, and accept what I could not change. then this cycling through of dong stuff -exhaustion - not doing stuff - anger - rinse and repeat had to come to an end. No easy task I might add. It takes effort, a strong team of understanding people, and for me it took therapy. . good luck! 
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Don’t strive for perfection, and try not to be difficult on yourself when things don’t go right; and when that happens, use it as a learning experience for next time.
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Hi Cindy. What I’ve learned in the 41 years with this disease is that the more you know, the better you’ll be able to cope. Yes, unexpected high or low BGs are frustrating and leave you feeling defeated; yes, pump alarms are annoying AF, but once you get yourself ahead of the curve with knowledge about diabetes and how to exist with it in this world the better off you’ll be.
It’s an unexpected and unwelcome job assignment - having to do all the thinking for a pancreas that no longer works right but it’s not your fault. Your job is to be patient with yourself.
Take a step back and assess what’s not working. Think about if there’s anything you could be doing, or not doing, to get better results next time. All it takes is a desire to do better. Start there.
See if there are resources in your community. Look at a hospital bulletin board and see if there’s a diabetes group or a nurse educator nearby. The nurse at your endocrinologist’s office might be able to steer you in the direction of some type of support.
Or you can just vent here 
Someone will always reply 
Hang in there! 
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