There are all kinds of things you can do to stay healthy. There is much more to living with HIV than just taking any HIV medication you get from your clinic. At first, it is a good idea to make full use of any support available to help you get used to the idea that you are HIV positive. Find out what is on offer at your clinic, from local HIV organisations or from local groups of HIV positive people.
Terry
I really didn’t like the idea of meeting a counsellor. To me, counselling was something that only sad or mad people went to. A friend encouraged me to give it a go, and I was surprised how useful it was just to talk for an hour about the things on my mind.
Billy
The best thing I ever did was get to know other HIV positive people. I learnt so much from their experiences. It really helped me not to have to learn everything the hard way.
Prudence
I wasn’t sleeping well after I got diagnosed with HIV. I found a local group that offered some complementary therapies and, for me, they really helped with those
problems. I know that sort of thing isn’t everyone’s taste, but I found it useful.
James
I found out about a local sports centre that offers advice on diet and exercise to HIV positive people. I’d never been to a gym in my life, so it was great to learn about how to eat well and look after myself a bit more.
Mary
I knew smoking was bad for you, and even worse for you when you’re HIV positive, but the stress of everything that was happening meant I was smoking more than ever. At my family doctor’s surgery they put me in touch with a local service to help me stop.
It is especially important to look after yourself when you’re HIV positive. Good food, sleep and exercise can all be an important part in giving your body and mind a better chance to stay healthy.
Many HIV positive people make use of emotional support, like counselling or support groups. Complementary therapies are popular with many people with HIV too, although they cannot treat HIV by themselves. They can be useful tools in helping you to feel healthy and with getting good rest and relaxation.
A large part of staying well is being content with your life. Finding ways to adjust to living with HIV is an important first step. Counselling works for some people, others find developing their faith or spiritual side can also be important. There are as many ways of achieving this as there are people, so give yourself time to find what works for you.
Move on to How do I decide about
telling people?