Good luck charms and other mind games we play with ourselves.

I believe in good luck charms. At least a little bit. At the very least, I don't think having them around will do me any harm. They are all part of the a larger strategy (mind game?) to keep myself both sane and happy while managing diseases. It's not easy having diabetes and celiac. I can't put them away and forget about them for a day (or with T1, not even a couple of hours). And, like you, I have plans for just about every situation- a plan for taking care of my diabetes at home, at work, while driving, while vacationing, for extreme weather, socializing, doing exercise/sport/hobby, and while sleeping.

I have additional plans that I have to add on for celiac disease, for example, eating at someone else's house (I pack my own food), traveling (I pack my own food for both flying and for traveling by vehicle- no fast food options for me). If I get an invite to a restaurant I don't know is "safe," that's another situation I have to plan for. Or plan for hanging out with someone who doesn't know I have celiac and/or doesn't know what celiac disease is. What's worse is having to plan for time spent with people that have misconceptions about what celiac disease is. I also have a plan for when I receive last-minute invites to lunch/dinner (these are always my biggest source of anxiety, because they leave me little to no time to do the things ahead of time that I need to do, like call ahead to speak to the manager during their non-busy time to ask about their gluten free practices). The reality is, if I don't have enough time to verify the gluten free practices of a restaurant, I simply don't go.

Having to plan- for EVERYTHING- it can be draining. I keep good luck charms around the house because they are visual reminders for me- reminders of good things. They evoke good feelings. And they are visual reminders to stop worrying; to take a moment to feel happy and grateful during my busy day. For example, when I see my Good Health Charm, it reminds me to be thankful for my health. When I see my Guardian Angel Coin, it reminds me that there is someone watching over me. My little pig reminds me of how much I've overcome and how resilient and strong I am. So as I'm running around my house and my mind is going 300 mph planning, analyzing, etc., I see one of my charms and my mind just STOPS for a moment. And everyone needs that, right?

I keep them around my house. The first one, Penelope the Piggy, sits on my desk in my office. I got her at Pier One for about $4.



Here is the card she came with



Here are the more recent additions and I haven't assigned them exact places in the house yet. One I think will go in my bedside table drawer, one in the kitchen and one in the living room. Each represent things I want in my life. I got these at Whole Foods for about $4 each.



In my purse, I keep my guardian angel coin. I like to think it keeps me safe when I'm driving. I've had this one for a long time and don't remember where I got it or who gave it to me.





I also believe in reading books about positive thinking. I'm reading The Magic right now and the chapter I'm reading is about how you can bring magic and positive energy to your health.





Lastly, I keep an extra good health charm in the ashtray of my car (do you see the irony in keeping a good health charm in an ashtray?)



Here's what it looks like stretched out



Ultimately, I think each of us has our own strategy for keeping ourselves going strong everyday with diabetes, celiac and illness. Diabetes can quickly zap your motivation; you can have one bad day of numbers and it will make you feel like all your hard work and dedication has been for nothing. That's when the little mind games we play with ourselves come in handy. They are harmless, and really, no one else even has to know about them. (Unless you want to share yours on here or on your blog. In which case, I'm all ears. )