Coping With Diabetes: Be Connected

Being diagnosed with diabetes is terrifying. You have so many questions about how your life is going to change and about how normal it can be. It's an overwhelming and very lonely feeling. However, finally there's another benefit for us here in the land of Web 2.0. Social networking may be your best tool for finding people who can help you to cope.

Twitter

As it turns out, in this crazy world we now live in, you don't have to go anywhere to find a support group. While Twitter may seem like it's just a way for you to tell everyone all of the boring details of your life, it can actually facilitate great discussions with people who know exactly what you are going through. It's also a great way to stay up to date on the latest research and on the best management techniques. Try following Amdiabetesassn to start - that's the American Diabetes Association, and they have access to all kinds of great information.

Instant Messaging

Many of us spend time chatting with friends on IM services, but for people with diabetes, a diabetes message board may be a great way to find new friends who understand your situation. Instead of chatting about the next celebrity adoption or who joined the cast for the next vampire movie, you can learn what you need to know and talk to other people who are thriving with diabetes.

Facebook

Where else can you go and see all 515 of your friends? More importantly, where else can you contact them all easily and effectively? Not only is facebook a great way to talk to people who like you and will help to keep your spirits up, but it's also a good way to tell people that this is important to you now. Use it to get their help at a diabetes event. Use it to inform people. The possibilities are endless - especially when you know your audience.

Diabetes is scary, but you don't have to go through it alone. Plenty of people are going through the same things you are experiencing, and in this world of social networking, they aren't even that hard to find.