Dr Ashley Ng

Recently I’ve been able to get back into a little bit of boxing. I’m a little (a lot) out of practice, so when I get to do some padwork, it feels like I’m frantically trying to land each punch and get through each combo. That is exactly how life feels at the moment. Especially with World Diabetes Day this week and all the flurry that surrounds that.

In the diabetes community, we often joke that we need to survive World Diabetes Day/ week/ month. Having a spotlight on diabetes means it’s a good opportunity for us to raise awareness on key issues within the community. However the intensity of diabetes advocacy on top of work and everyday life can be relentless and exhausting. Especially as this has been my first proper World Diabetes Day celebration in a few years.

As I was reflecting on how I was going to make it through the week, I defaulted back to the mindset that I use during exercise – breaking things up into smaller chunks before resting after each little bit is done. And so that’s what I did. I focused on what my next task or event was, took things bit by bit, took a big breathe out after each one was done then kept going.

On a bigger scale, this strategy needs to be applied to diabetes advocacy. Advocacy is a long, slow burn. Often, it’s many years of solid hard work before we see change happen. It’s not surprising to hear people say they feel like they’re just hitting a brick wall then leave. Which is why it’s so important to set and acknowledge each milestone you hit rather than waiting until you achieve your final outcome.

Thankfully, the end of the Primary Care Diabetes Conference also marked the last World Diabetes Day event for me this year. It has been a terrific week of celebrations and great conversations with old and new friends. But I’ve also forgotten how much in-person events take out of you. Now it’s time for a bit of downtime before I get back to fielding those punches that life (and diabetes advocacy) throws out!