OK, so I've had this book to read for 3 months. I haven't finished it. Didn't I like it? That's not it, exactly.

I think my score on the 'How Burned Out Are You' worksheet in chapter 3 of the book might help explain my slow progress.

Apparently, I am 'extremely distressed... scores this high are rare; of the patients surveyed to date, only about 4% fall into this range...burnout is all but certain.'

If you haven't already guessed, Diabetes Burnout is a self-help book. It's not a passive read: there are surveys and probing questions throughout. If you're prepared to do the work you can identify your particular issues. The suggestions for how to overcome them might even make sense.

The thing I like best about this book is its focus on small steps. You don't have to banish apathy, fix your food, explore exercise, find a sympathetic doctor and tell your family and friends to leave you alone all in one day (although if you wanted to, this book could point you in the right direction...) Read it once, or a little at a time. Even leave it on the bookshelf ready to read after the New Year's resolutions are made (again) to look after your diabetes better.

But a word of warning: don't leave it sitting until you are 'extremely distressed' - this book is a useful tool, but it doesn't have a tow bar. In my experience, if you've already sunk, you need some steel and someone who'll answer back to pull you a little way out before the written word can push you onto success.

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