Got Confidence?

Written by Dietitians at Diabetes Control for Life

How many times have you heard or told the story about the Little Engine That Could? In case your memory of this delightful tale is fuzzy, it’s about a train that thinks it can’t go up and over the mountain to deliver its load of toys to children on the other side. With no luck finding another train to do the job, the little engine realizes that it has to deliver the toys itself. So, as it chugs up the mountain, it begins to say, “I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!” Of course, the little engine makes it to the mountaintop and starts down the other side, saying, “I knew I could! I knew I could! I knew I could!”

This Well-being article is about confidence:

• It explains why self-confidence is so important to your diabetes control program.
• It describes how you can become more confident that you can change your eating and physical activity patterns.

This concept is what psychologists call self-efficacy. It refers to a person’s belief in his or her ability to successfully perform a specific behavior. Call this confidence. When it comes to diabetes control, your level of confidence influences how well you do something like walking, but it also has an impact on whether you are willing to try something else — like jogging. As humans, we’re more likely to try something different when we believe we’ll be successful than if we believe we’ll fail.

What Does Confidence Have to Do With Controlling Diabetes?

Plenty! Research has taught us a few things about the role confidence plays in diabetes control.

• A person’s confidence in his or her ability to change eating and activity behaviors — like eating more fruits and vegetables and walking daily — is a predictor of whether that person will reach his or her goals. Several studies show that people who believe in their ability to lose weight tend to lose more weight than those who don’t.
• People who aren’t confident and who struggle with controlling their diabetes can learn to become confident in their ability to make lifestyle changes. This learned confidence helps them reach their goals.
• People have different levels of confidence when it comes to diabetes control. You may feel confident that you can eat more fruits and vegetables, but not at all confident about turning down dessert at a restaurant. Other people may feel confident about being able to increase their activity level by walking more, but not feel confident about their ability to add weight training to their program.

“Great!” you say. “My health is important to me, and I want to control my diabetes! Where can I get some of this confidence?” The not-so-easy answer is — it comes from you.

Becoming Confident

Taking two important steps will help you bolster your confidence:

1. Believe that change is important for you in the first place. Following the Diabetes Control for Life Program is a good indication of just how important this is to you. Give yourself a pat on the back for wanting better health.
2. Believe that you can learn new and healthier eating and activity patterns. You can do it! You are at the center of this change. It’s not up to fate, your boss, your family, your upbringing, or your gene pool. It’s up to you.

Acquiring the confidence to change the old for the new happens in different ways for different people. Here are some ways for you to discover and cultivate your own confidence to change.

Go for it: Success breeds confidence. A good way to boost your confidence to make lifestyle changes is to do exactly what it is that you think you can’t do. You’ll see that you have what it takes. If you’re not feeling confident about getting out for a brisk walk, try it for just one day. Today. Didn’t you actually enjoy it? Didn’t that walk give you the confidence to get out and walk tomorrow? Whether you stick in your toe or go for the plunge, remember that success builds your confidence to continue making positive lifestyle changes.

Build on your past successes and failures. Think back on earlier attempts to control your glucose levels. What success did you have, and what contributed to that success? What did you learn from that experience? What obstacles kept you from going down the path to your goals? If holiday eating was a trigger for you in the past, use that knowledge to your benefit and try something different. Adjust your weight loss expectations during holidays and commit to keeping track of what you eat during the holidays. If a rainy day kept you from taking your walk, try an indoor activity that gets your muscles moving.

Be a copycat. Find role models and imitate their behavior. See a person turn down dessert at a restaurant? Try it yourself. There’s power in saying, “If they can do it, I can do it!”

Listen to what others say about you. Positive comments and words of encouragement from friends and family can boost your confidence and your resolve to change. Listen to yourself, too, if your self-talk is positive and constructive.

Giving It a Try

Change is all about doing. It helps to read about confidence and ways to improve one’s level of confidence to try new things. It’s better to use what you read. Do something with it. What can you do to boost your confidence to make healthier food choices and get more physical activity?

It’s Your Turn

Here is your chance to identify opportunities to bolster your confidence. Write down a list of actions you would like to take with more confidence, whether it’s ordering something that’s not on the menu or venturing out to become more physically active. Then write down what you are willing to do to boost your confidence in that area.

Summary

• Confidence in your ability to change your eating and activity habits is key to successful diabetes control.
• The most effective way to bolster your confidence is to do whatever it is that you don’t think you’re capable of doing.
• Confidence comes from:
  • Building on your successes and learning from your failures
  • Modeling yourself after another person whose confidence you admire
  • Listening to positive messages sent by people in your support system — and sent by you!