Today let’s share what gets us through a hard day. Or more specifically, a hard diabetes day. Is there something positive you tell yourself? Are there mantras that you fall back on to get you through? Is there something specific you do when your mood needs a boost? Maybe we’ve done that and we can help others do it too?
“Everything’s gonna be OK.”
It’s cliché. It’s a simple four-word phrase. But I believe it’s the most honest, powerful thing to tell yourself on a rough Diabetes day. Everybody could use some “it’s gonna be okay” mantra when problems set in.
Captain Philips told his crew: “It’s gonna be okay” while Somali pirates robbed their ship.
Kramer told Kramer, “We’re gonna be okay. Let’s get some Ice cream…” I don’t want an ice cream but I sure want things to be okay (LOL!).
Oddly, this was also what Christina told Colter a few seconds before the train exploded in Source Code. Then, everything was okay.
You can also hear this cliché in hundreds of songs. “Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright,” sings Bob Marley. Black Sabbath says, “It’s Alright.”
Hakuna Matata. It means “don’t worry.” The list goes on.
And it is not the absence of a better punchline or rhyming lyric that inspire artists to come up with such an overused phrase. It’s part of the dialogue or a hymn because it’s the truth. In real life, this cliché is God’s promise that He fulfills in various ways.
- So you just got your A1c test result and you score is 9.0. It’s gonna be okay. Do better next time.
- You had hypo because you forgot your pump. It’s gonna be okay. You have friends to look after you in case you collapse at the restaurant. Help will come. Someone’s watching you.
- Dumping syndrome sucks. Go to the hospital and things are gonna be okay.
- My surgery is in two days. I’m nervous, but I know it’s gonna be okay.
My 2 cents
I felt like the world became too small to fit in and too big to handle when I was first diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes back in 2011. I had seen it coming but not too soon and definitely not in the manner that I discovered it. But then again, the mini-me inside my head whispered: “It’s gonna be okay…” It did not put a smile on my face quickly but the calming effect was outstanding.
And it was okay. I was on meds for a couple of years. I had my gastric bypass surgery in December last year. I slimmed down from 360 to 290 pounds and going down. I have given up Metformin for my Diabetes. I have been eating healthy since the day I got my new pouch.
See, everything’s gonna be okay. Maybe not this hour, not today, tomorrow, or next week. But, eventually, things will fall into place.
These four subtle words enfold hope and faith. I give myself a pat on the back with these four words every time things get rough. I comfort the people who need some support by telling them, “It’s gonna be okay.” Mother Mary comes to me in times of trouble saying things are gonna be A-OK (inspired by the Beatles song, of course).
It does not stop at saying it though. Say it, mean it, and then do something. It works. I just have to believe it.
And so, I quote Leo Buscaglia: “Love yourself—accept yourself—forgive yourself—and be good to yourself, because without you the rest of us are without a source of many wonderful things.”