I work in marketing these days and quite often when sitting in strategy sessions for client on various projects we talk about the concept of escaping from the daily grind. For a mother it might just be a case of sitting down with a cup of coffee for 10 minutes, for a guy it might be a fishing trip and for a couple it might be telling your mates that you’re out of the city for the weekend and hole-ing yourself up in your house in secret! The point is, everyone needs a break every now and again and diabetics are no different. Trouble is of course that we don’t get a break from our diabetes so what do you do?

I dunno about you guys but personally, about every three weeks, when my fingers simply can’t take more of the daily beatings, I can’t be bothered writing down everything as I go and I’m sick of having to think about it all, a switch in my brain flips and I say to myself…I deserve a break! Normally, I just take a day or two off testing so much by only doing maybe 2 or three tests a day for the weekend or I’ll go down and get a treat which I have have some insulin for like an icecream in summer or a milky bar in winter and I ‘let myself escape’. It’s like casual Friday at work or something…

When i was younger I let that get away on me a little and quite often a day would turn into a month (oh dear!) so don’t quote me at your doctors saying I told you to let rip but do remember that you can loosen the belt a little sometimes as it were because I actually happen to believe that it is crucial for us to get those breaks, to be able to sign off, chill out and recharge. I mean let’s face it – how many people have to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year without getting a holiday?

- Aaron