Yesterday you started naming the direction before the number. Today, you sit with what direction actually is.
Today's idea
The arrow on your CGM is not decoration. It tells you which side of a tug-of-war is winning right now.
Picture a rope with a flag tied to the middle. On one side: insulin. On the other side: your carbs, your hormones, your stress — everything that pushes blood sugar up. The flag is your blood sugar. The goal isn't for one side to win. The goal is for both sides to pull until they're exhausted, drop the rope, and the flag stays in the middle.
A flat arrow means neither side is winning at this moment. An up-arrow means the carbs side is pulling the flag its way. A down-arrow means insulin is pulling the flag its way. Neither is automatically a problem. The arrow just tells you which side has the momentum.
If I had to go back to multiple daily injections, I could still micromanage it — as long as I know the direction of where things are headed.
— Jennifer Smith, from Pro Tip 1006
That is what your arrow is doing for you, every five minutes, without being asked.
An arrow tells me which side is winning.
Sometime today, watch the arrow on your CGM during a single event — a meal, a walk, a strong emotion. Notice when the arrow shifts direction. Don't try to change anything. Just notice which side of the rope just got stronger.
Small Sip #1428 — Tug of War
What did the arrow tell me today about which way things were moving — that the number alone wouldn't have?