T1D adult camp, it is 100% the place for me!
Friends, if I could spend 90% of my time with people like you and me, all with T1D, I would be so freaking happy. Heck, I’d be happy at 75%, maybe even 50% of the time.
Last month I had the opportunity to conduct a workshop at Connected in Motion’s Western Slipstream T1D adult camp. This 3-day camp was held at Evans Lake in Squamish BC. It was my second time attending and presenting at the camp. And it was my second time leaving with the fullest heart and so much inspiration and motivation.
Nuts and Bolts
I went to T1D camp as a kid and I loved it – so much so that I even became a camp counsellor in my early 20s for three summers at a US camp. But once I had aged out of camp, it took many, many years before I was able to find connection again with other adult T1Ds. And that can be difficult.
People with type-1 diabetes have so much on our plates. I know I’m right about this. We make an average of 180 decisions a day related to our diabetes management. Having all of that on our shoulders without others to talk to who know what we’re going through can be super burdensome.
Connected in Motion is all about creating T1D community.
It was first started in 2008 by a fellow, active T1D, who wanted to provide a place for people like her to connect. From the website, Connected in Motion “creates a culture of support and engagement in diabetes self-management through experiential diabetes education and outdoor adventure pursuits.”
Essentially, it’s T1D camp for adults!
Topic: Mental Health and T1D
This year I was asked to present on managing stress with T1D.
When I first got the request, I’m not going to lie, I laughed – out loud.
If you know, you know.
I live my life filled with varying levels of stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges on a daily basis. Some days I manage it well, some days I struggle to high heaven. I have not been quiet on this topic. I am open publicly that my blood sugars sometimes suffer because of it. I’ve also been clear that I get support regularly from a clinical counsellor.
And, you know what, I think that that is probably exactly why I was selected for this topic.
Mental health challenges and type-1 diabetes go together like…
- Peanut butter and jam
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Ben and Jerry 😉
I could probably keep the food pairings going for a lot longer, but I’ll stop now, you get the picture 😀
The thing is, we don’t talk about these challenges enough. And if we’re not talking about them, the risk continues to rise.
Here’s some stats to ponder:
- 30% of young adults with type-1 have diabetes distress
- One in four people with T1D have high levels of diabetes distress
- People with type-1 have a 3-5 times higher risk for developing depression than people without
- More than 15% of children and teens with type-1 have anxiety
- 45% of mental health conditions go undetected in people with diabetes
My workshop focused on opening up the discussion, normalizing the topic, and building a toolkit of peer-approved strategies.
My workshop was not the only mental health related workshop / presentation / activity on the Slipstream docket. There were several others, including embracing emotional balance, practicing mindfulness, morning yoga and more.
Thank you CIM for embracing this important topic!
Next steps
There were so many cherished moments of this camp:
- Eating breakfast in a swinging chair overlooking the lake on a misty morning
- Listening to stories and laughing around the evening campfire
- All the conversations, so many conversations, and most certainly not all about T1D
- Just being around so many like-minded T1Ds, knowing that you’re not the only one
Every time I leave this T1D adult camp, I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to go back to my life of working just 1-2 days with people that have T1D and the other days in the acute setting. When I changed careers, it was to work specifically with the T1D population. We’re now 4 years in, and I need to move forward on that end of my plan.
I am motivated. This will happen. Stay tuned 😀
