April is Stress Awareness Month and Diabetes UK know that having to manage a condition like diabetes, on top of the strain the last year has put on everyone, can cause even greater stress and anxiety.

Living with diabetes through this pandemic – where people with the condition are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they develop coronavirus – has been, for many, overwhelming.

Although stress doesn't cause diabetes, it can affect your blood sugar levels and how you look after your condition. Thankfully, though, there are things you can do to make it easier to cope and Diabetes UK has plenty of resources which can help.

If you want support on how to change the way you react so things feel better, try the Stress Manager tool on the Diabetes UK's online Learning Zone. You'll also get a warm welcome and support from others with diabetes on our online support forum. Both the Stress Manager tool and the forum can be found at the Diabetes UK website: diabetes.org.uk.

If you'd prefer to talk to someone, you can chat to one of their trained advisors. They have counselling skills and can be contacted via the helpline on 0345 123 2399 (Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm) or by emailing [email protected].