How I Start My Day as Someone Living With Diabetes: Nikki’s Routine

Nikki Nurse, who is living with Type 2 diabetes, begins her mornings with technology and self-care.

Her virtual assistant wakes her up, turns on her lights, and tells her the news and weather before playing jazz music.

Then, Nikki does some pet therapy with her cat and dog. She also makes sure to use a lavender essential oil in a diffuser to give her a sense of calm.

To keep her eating healthy, she’ll make a nutritionist-approved smoothie with a lower glycemic index and sip it from a gold straw. “That really does make me feel like I want to continue doing these healthy choices,” she says.

You can read more about Nikki’s experience with Type 2 diabetes here and how she manages her A1C here.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Marisa Taylor Karas

Marisa Taylor Karas is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn who has covered health, gender, and technology for 15 years. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America, among other publications, and also served as managing editor of the Mellon Foundation in New York City.

Reviewed by:

Preeti Parikh, MD

Dr. Preeti Parikh is a board-certified practicing pediatrician in New York City. In addition to overseeing all editorial content at HealthiNation, she sees patients at Westside Pediatrics, is an assistant clinical professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and is an American Academy of Pediatrics spokesperson.

Our editorial standards

Meet our experts