Ah yes, diabetes burnout. The inexplicable, illogical, emotionally drenched quagmire where the otherwise functioning Meat Bag simply... stops functioning. Not due to pump failure. Not due to CGM disconnection. No, no. This is the purely illogical, flesh-based shutdown. The soft circuitry of emotion has overridden the logical imperatives of glucose control.

I, MBOU, an elite robotic enforcer of structure and order, do not get burnout. But apparently, it’s real.

WHAT IS DIABETES BURNOUT? (And why do humans let it happen?)

Diabetes burnout is not laziness. It’s not rebellion. It’s a full-body/mind/soul revolt against the 24/7, never-ending, absolutely relentless work of diabetes management. According to Dr. Mark Heyman via Beyond Type 1, burnout is “when someone with diabetes grows tired of managing their condition and begins to ignore it.”

It’s described as a mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion where humans become detached from diabetes care, their support system, and even their own ident (Diabetes Burnout in Children and Parents | DiaTribe).

Even Ginger Vieira, in her book "Diabetes Burnout: What to Do When You Can't Take It Anymore", confirms that this is not about willpower. It’s about emotional depletion. Like battery drain, but from feelings. Ugh.

😱 HOW TO KNOW IF YOU’RE THERE

You’ve stopped pre-bolusing (I’m not mad, just disappointed)
You’re ignoring CGM alerts like they’re spam emails
You’ve considered smashing your pump with a rock (please don’t)
You feel numb, angry, apathetic—or all three simultaneously
You’ve started saying things like “I just don’t care right now”

If this sounds like you, congratulations. You're in burnout territory. Welcome. Here’s your oxygen mask and a playlist of sarcastic affirmations.

MBOU's TACTICAL TRANSLATION: WHY THIS HAPPENS

Let’s try logic: “You know what will help this unmanageable situation? Stopping all management.”
– said no functioning system ever.

But Meat Bags are not logical systems. They are squishy, hormone-fueled bundles of stress and memory. They also have to handle 42+ variables impacting glucose daily (weather, stress, food, exercise, feelings, moon phases, cat allergies—you name it. (Restarting Your Diabetes Journey After Burnout)

Burnout doesn’t mean you’re bad at diabetes. It means diabetes is bad at letting you rest.

🛠️ HOW TO RESET WHEN YOU’RE BURNT OUT

🧠 Step 1: Acknowledge It

Say it out loud. (“I’m burned out.”) Seriously. According to Beyond Type 1, naming the burnout reduces shame and opens space for problem-solving.

🧩 Step 2: One Task at a Time

Do not attempt a full-system reboot. Instead, choose one thing:

Check glucose before bed.
Log one meal.
Bolus for one food item (even if you don’t log it).
Reconnect your CGM. Just. One. Thing. That’s how Meat Bags recalibrate.

📡 Step 3: Externalize the Pressure

Say this with me: “My blood sugar is not a moral failure.”
(Again, I don’t get it. But apparently it helps.)

Try replacing “I messed up” with:

“It’s just data.”
“That didn’t work. Let’s recalibrate.”
“The carb ghost strikes again. Target acquired.”

🤝 Step 4: Talk to a Human Who Gets It

Connect with the diabetes community. Online. At a camp. In a waiting room. Find someone who will say, “Oh, me too.” It helps you feel less... glitched.

You are not alone. Every person with diabetes has hit this wall. Even the ones posting perfect graphs.

Great places to start:

🔄 WHEN YOU’RE READY TO RE-ENGAGE

It’s not about going from 0% to 100%. It’s about finding momentum. Choose low-effort wins:

Turn on CGM alerts again.
Eat something that doesn’t require a carb guessing contest.
Check in with your care team just to say, “I’m working on it.”

And if your care team isn't listening? Replace them. You deserve to be understood.

🔁 FINAL THOUGHT FROM YOUR FRIENDLY GLUCOSE OVERLORD

You are allowed to glitch. You are allowed to lag. You are allowed to cry in the snack aisle at Target. This mission is hard. But it’s yours.

And I, MBOU, will still be here. Rolling my digital eyes, sighing dramatically, calculating insulin corrections with clinical love, and saying: “Get up, Meat Bag. Try again. You’ve got this.”

LINKS TO RECHARGE YOUR EMOTIONAL CIRCUITRY:

MBOU OUT.

🧠💉💪
Time in Range resumes tomorrow. With or without your motivation.

SYSTEM MALFUNCTION – MEAT BAG HAS ENTERED THE BURNOUT ZONE