5 Ways to Relieve Stress With Diabetes
Stress is part of life, but managing diabetes can add another layer of pressure. Checking blood sugar, taking medications or insulin, planning meals, and worrying about highs, lows, or complications can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Stress can also affect blood sugar and make everyday diabetes self-care more difficult.1 Fortunately, a few practical strategies can help. Here are five ways to relieve stress with diabetes.
Quick Answer: How Can You Relieve Stress With Diabetes?
Some of the best ways to relieve stress with diabetes include deep breathing or mindfulness, regular physical activity, spending time outdoors, talking with supportive people, and journaling.
If managing diabetes itself becomes persistently overwhelming, you may be experiencing diabetes distress. Talk with your healthcare team if stress begins interfering with your diabetes management, sleep, mood, or daily life.
Key Points
- Stress can affect blood sugar and make diabetes management more difficult.
- Exercise, mindfulness, relaxation techniques, and social support can help manage stress.
- Blood sugar responses to stress can vary, so pay attention to your glucose during stressful periods.
- Feeling overwhelmed by diabetes management may be a sign of diabetes distress.
- Persistent stress, anxiety, or depression should be discussed with a healthcare professional.
How Does Stress Affect Diabetes?
Stress can influence diabetes management because stress hormones can affect blood glucose. It can also make it harder to exercise, eat regularly, monitor glucose, take medications as prescribed, or get enough sleep.1
That makes stress management an important part of diabetes self-care.
1. Practice Meditation or Deep Breathing
Meditation, mindfulness, and controlled breathing can help calm your response to stressful situations.
You don’t need a long session. Start with 5 to 10 minutes of quiet breathing. Sit comfortably, breathe slowly, focus on your breathing, and gently redirect your attention when your mind wanders.
Mindfulness-based therapies are among the behavioral approaches used to help address psychosocial concerns and diabetes distress.2
2. Spend Time Outdoors
Getting outside can provide a break from stressful situations. Take a short walk, sit outside, work in the garden, or spend a few quiet minutes somewhere you enjoy.
Combining outdoor time with light physical activity can also help you get moving without requiring a structured workout.
Even a brief change of environment may help you return to a stressful situation with a clearer perspective.
3. Get Moving
Regular exercise can also support diabetes management by improving insulin sensitivity and helping with blood sugar control.
Walking, cycling, swimming, strength training, stretching, and yoga are all options. You don’t need a strenuous workout—a short walk can be a simple place to start.
Exercise can affect blood glucose. If you use insulin or medications that can cause hypoglycemia, monitor your glucose as appropriate and follow your diabetes care plan.
Choose activities you enjoy and can do consistently.
4. Talk to Someone
Talking about what’s causing stress can make it feel more manageable.
Consider speaking with a family member, friend, healthcare professional, diabetes educator, or someone else living with diabetes. Peer support can be especially helpful because other people with diabetes may understand the daily demands of managing the condition.
If diabetes itself is becoming overwhelming, tell your healthcare team. The American Diabetes Association recommends addressing psychosocial concerns as part of routine diabetes care.2
5. Write Down What’s Stressing You
Journaling can help identify situations that repeatedly cause stress.
Write down what’s bothering you, what you can control, and one action you can take. You can also note whether situations such as unexpected glucose readings, meals, work demands, poor sleep, or fear of hypoglycemia trigger stress.
Recognizing patterns may help you decide what you can change and what you should discuss with your healthcare team.
Stress vs. Diabetes Distress
Diabetes distress is the emotional burden and worry associated specifically with living with and managing diabetes. It is different from depression and anxiety, although they can occur together.2
Diabetes distress may involve feeling overwhelmed by:
- Blood sugar readings
- Hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia
- Insulin or medications
- Food decisions
- Diabetes technology
- Fear of complications
- The constant demands of diabetes self-management
The ADA recommends screening people with diabetes for diabetes distress at least annually and repeating screening when treatment goals aren’t being met, during transitions, or when diabetes complications occur.2
When to Get Additional Help
Stress-management techniques can help with everyday stress, but persistent or severe symptoms deserve additional attention.
Talk with your healthcare provider if stress, anxiety, sadness, or feeling overwhelmed is affecting your sleep, daily activities, relationships, or ability to manage diabetes.
Depending on your needs, your healthcare team may recommend diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES), counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based therapy, or another form of support.2
The Bottom Line
Living with diabetes can create stress, and stress can make diabetes more difficult to manage.
Some of the simplest ways to relieve stress with diabetes include taking a short walk, practicing a few minutes of deep breathing, spending time outside, talking with someone you trust, or writing down what’s bothering you.
If diabetes-related stress becomes persistent or overwhelming, discuss it with your healthcare team. Emotional well-being is an important part of diabetes care.
Frequently Asked Questions – Ways to Relieve Stress with Diabetes
Medically reviewed by Dr. Seshadri G. Das, MD
Board Certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism
Last updated: August 2026
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes and Mental Health. The CDC specifically explains that stress hormones can make glucose rise or fall unpredictably and that stress can interfere with diabetes self-care. CDC — Diabetes and Mental Health [↩] [↩] [↩]
- American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes. Facilitating Positive Health Behaviors and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care. 2026;49(Suppl 1):S89–S131. This is the strongest reference for psychosocial care, mindfulness-based therapies, diabetes distress, screening, DSMES, CBT, and behavioral-health referral. ADA Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026, Section 5 [↩] [↩] [↩] [↩] [↩] [↩] [↩]
