Nick Jonas shares his top 3 self-care strategies, including one he "used to overlook"

Nick Jonas is a "Sucker" for self-care.

The singer and actor, 31, has a few go-to's when it comes to taking care of his mental health as part of his diabetes management. 

"There is that mental health effect that that comes into play," Jonas, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 13, told CBS News. "There is a direct connect connection between high glucose and symptoms of feeling irritable and frustrated." 

In addition to eating well and using his Dexcom G7 to monitor his glucose levels in real-time, the singer said it's helpful to "give yourself some grace" to prevent burnout. 

"Understand that as tight a grip as you have on the management of your disease, there are going to be days that are just tough and doing your best not to get frustrated," he said. "Taking that 15 to 20 minutes to just take take a seat, take a deep breath and whatever your process is to kind of de-escalate things. It's really important to do that otherwise you can experience that burnout in a really tough way."

For him personally, he said, "it's all about looking at the scenario from the perspective of you're doing the best you can."

"I used to get really frustrated with whatever the situation was," he said. "Taking that step back and being able to see it from that perspective has been really healthy and helpful."

The perspective shift along with finding a tool that works for him helps him focus on family too.

"Becoming a father has kind of changed my life in so many ways," he said. "Anything that kind of pulls me out of being present with her is something I've worked really hard and tried to sort of eradicate. Those moments with her are precious, and so I don't want to be in my head about a frustrating day with Type 1."

Another form of self-care he "used to overlook," he said, is sleep — but now recognizes it's "super important."

"I saw a direct correlation in my numbers just being better overall when I was able to push myself to get to bed just to touch earlier than I used to. I was always a bit of a night owl," he said. "I used to overextend myself in a lot of ways whether it was socially or just working... I think as you get older, it's a no brainer — but it's just true."

Currently in Dublin filming a movie in between touring with his bandmates and brothers, Jonas understands it can be difficult to find time to be physically active in our "crazy lives," but said it also helps his mental health. 

"One of the things that's been really helpful, it's just finding windows to go and play golf or tennis — an active sport that keeps my mind on something completely singular," he said. 

Sports and diabetes share a common thread in his mind, too — it's all about constantly learning. 

"I know I'll never master the game of golf or tennis, which is a good analogy for living with Type 1," he said. "You're never going to master that and taking it one step at a time is really important."