Having a serious medical condition, such as Type 2 diabetes not only means you have to be ready to pursue medical help whenever it is necessary but to also take charge of managing your disease yourself.
You need to know even more about your health than your doctor.
If one leg of a three-legged stool is missing the stool falls over.
The same is true for the management of your diabetes.
Taking responsibility for your health condition and what is necessary to keep it under control, is as important as accepting medical advice when it is being offered.
How do you effectively do that? There are a number of ways.
1.
Learn everything you can in order to control your disease.
This includes knowing:

• the healthy foods you should eat...
  and the ones its best to avoid,
• the best way to cook those foods,
• the most effective type of exercise for you and how often to carry it out,
• about diabetic medications and, importantly,
• how to handle stress.
  

Absorb as much information as you can possibly get your hands on.
There is new research and studies being conducted on a continuous basis.
The results of these studies could dramatically improve the quality of your life if you are up to date on what is being offered.
There is no such thing as knowing all there is about Type 2 diabetes because the technology and information being uncovered, is ongoing and constantly changing.
2.
Learn how to deal with the emotional side of the disease.
When someone is diagnosed with diabetes, their first reaction is usually shock, followed by a mixture of anger and depression.
Many also become frustrated very early on by the rigorous changes that need to be implemented in their lives.
If an individual does not get a solid grasp on these emotions, they can quickly take over and further damage their health in the form of other, more serious complications.
3.
Learn how to share with others.
This is not only to answer questions you might have but more to gather support.
Learning from the experiences of other Type 2 diabetics and what they have had to sort through,will help you so you don't fall into the pattern of suffering from the same.
Having other diabetics support you, helps out in times when things seem to be overwhelming or on days your diabetes or, one of its complications, has resulted in you having a particularly bad day.
4.
Learn how to maintain as normal a life as possible.
This might sound unrealistic when you are first diagnosed but, over time you will begin to see your life can be as normal as you wish it to be and what's more, you could end up healthier than before receiving your diagnosis.
It all depends on you and the effort you put into making it that way.
There are many Type 2 diabetics who manage their disease to such a degree it is virtually undetectable.