Musterbation! I bet I got your attention there!  I love this term!  Musterbation is defined as a rigid thought pattern characterized by the tendency to impose absolutist expectations ononeself.  This term was coined by Albert Ellis who was the father of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and was known for his often confrontational style with clients.  As I learned about this man and his theories of psychotherapy, I understood his theories in a real and personal way.  I realized that I often have been irrational in my thinking about my diabetes, my attitude towards my diabetes, and my treatment of my diabetes. 

One of my favorite quotes by Albert Ellis is "There are three musts that hold us back: I must do well. You must treat me well. And the world must be easy."  So let's look at this quote in relation to diabetes...This is a loaded statement for anyone, but especially a diabetic. What are some of the diabetic musts we tell ourselves?  Here is a list of my irrational, musturbatory beliefs that I catch myself telling myself.

I must have a good blood sugar.

I must always have perfect control, all the time.

I must do everything right with eating and exercise.

I must be a perfect diabetic.

I must be able to control all the variables in my life that affect my diabetes.

This diabetes thing should be easy to control.

I should never eat cake/cookies/candy/treats ever again, I'm diabetic.

I should know all the answers already, I've been diabetic for over 20 years!

My diabetes absolutely must behave in the way I expect it to.

Things should be easy when it comes to my diabetes!

So what am I doing when I tell myself these thoughts?  I am being rigid and I am expecting something unreasonable about myself and my diabetes. I am putting myself into a no win situation.  As we well know, diabetes is neither predictable nor constant!  I am getting better at fighting these thoughts and being reasonable with myself as time goes by.  Connecting with other diabetics online and in person helps me be more real and honest with myself.

So what are your musts, shoulds, or oughts?  What do you do to deal with them?

You can be 1happydiabetic too-it's all about your attitude,

Suzanne