Coping With Hyperinsulinism
Identifying Feelings:
Managing Hyperinsulinism can feel overwhelming, frustrating, and exhausting. As you start to get older you may notice new concerns or pressures such as:
- Making decisions about letting new friends know of medical needs.
- Increasing independence around own care
- Managing challenges of adolescence in addition to medical needs
- Transition to Adult Medical Services
- Considering post 16 options and next steps
- Increased thoughts of the future including relationships, family, employment, and how medical needs might influence these.
Understandably this may make you feel anxious and stressed. It is important to use the ‘young adults’ section of our website to help you to answer some of these questions. Knowing your options and understanding your condition can help you to feel confident and can help ease uncertainty.
It is also important to acknowledge and understand the feelings you have, so you can protect your well-being and mental health. To start to understand these emotions it can be good to start with focusing on the specific cause e.g. is it listed above, or a different concern such as managing hypoglycaemia, exam stress, frustration at not being able to do certain things.
Once you have found the underlying cause of your feelings, seek support and advice. This could be through your medical team, trusted peer group, school, college or university support team.
It can often help to connect with other young adults with Hyperinsulinism to share feelings, and coping strategies. Consider joining our support groups:
Sometimes it can be hard to pinpoint the cause of your feelings or there may be several different causes contributing which makes it seem impossible to address. Confusingly you may also be noticing ‘meta feelings’ for example feeling annoyed that you are worried, or cross that you feel sad etc.
It can therefore be helpful to imagine that you are filling up an imaginary bag or bucket. Write down what is causing you to worry or stress (filling up your bucket) and what steps you could take to release stress (emptying your bucket) download this resource to help you:
What can I do to feel better?
Sometimes, there may not be an obvious solution to the problem, or you may not even understand why you are feeling a certain way. When this happens, it can be good to focus on how you react to your feelings currently, do they make you angry, sad, frustrated, or anxious. Then think about activities, strategies, and tools you could use to help you to deal with the feelings and to feel more positive.
Here are some ideas:
- Learn some relaxation techniques / breathing exercises.
- Take regular time out for yourself e.g. go for a walk, listen to some music, play a video game.
- Consider if you are getting enough sleep.
- Keep a journal, recording your thoughts, feelings, and positive actions/ things that you are looking forward to.
- Talk to trusted friends and family members.
- Seek help and support from your medical team, GP, or school nurse/counsellor.
Other Sources of Support
Young Minds Charity: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/
Anxiety UK: https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/
Childline: https://www.childline.org.uk/
Where concerns are significant or persisting, consider requesting a referral to CAMHS the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, it may also be known as CYPMHS which stands for Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services.
Guide to CAMHS:
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/your-guide-to-support/guide-to-camhs/