Practicing Self Care After your Diagnosis | HIV/AIDS Awareness

During the month of February we have spent some much time talking about matters of the heart, first and foremost health, and coming in at a close second is love. Up until now though, we have talked mostly about loving other people, so today I thought we would talk about something different, Self-Love (not that kind you nasty lol). No but seriously, we often forget how important self-love is to our overall happiness, and for those of us struggling with a debilitating infection like HIV/AIDS this can be twice as difficult. Getting a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS can shatter your whole world, and even makes some people want to end their lives. So in light of this, I thought I would come today with my top 3 tips for practicing self-love when you’re struggling with HIV/AIDS

You are NOT your Status

Before we get into my tips I thought I would tell you that you are more than your status. Yes having an infection like HIV/AIDS can affect and change your whole life, but you don’t have to become HIV/AIDS. Don’t forget that you are a beautiful and wonderful human being First, and HIV positive second

Self-Care ritual

Establishing a self-care ritual is important whether you’re positive or not. But in this case a recent (or not so recent) diagnosis can leave you depressed, and feeling a type of way that you have never felt. Having a skincare routine, a hair routine, getting your nails done, or just soaking in a bath with a face mask and a nice audiobook or podcast (getting ready to do that last one myself!), can have you feeling like an entirely new person. No matter how you practice your self care, the most important part of it is making it a ritual. Do it often enough that you begin to look forward to it and make it a priority. Investing time in yourself is one of the best investments you can make (other than retirement of course, but that’s just my roots in Finance showing).

Being Mindful of your nutrition and health

This one goes without saying but as alway you know I have to keep it one hundred. Whether that’s you spending time in the gym, time in the Kitchen, or (preferably) both having an active lifestyle keeps you feeling good about yourself. Even if it’s for superficial reasons like looking good on the beach, that extra confidence boost does wonders for a woman, a man or anyone in between!

Become active in the community

This is a big one, Getting involved in the HIV/AIDS community can bring a sense of moral fulfillment and can even provide lots of emotional support from others living with their infections. Not only will you be able to help others (which always feels good), but you can also make new friends that understand you in a way that some of us can’t at the same time.

So those are my top tips for practicing self-care when you are positive for HIV/AIDS. I hope that these tips help and I look forward to seeing more people become active in the community. As always  You can get more information on HIV/AIDS from the U.S. National Library of Medicine here at their MedlinePlus website. Also, don’t forget to check google for ways to get involved in the community around you.

Self-care is the first step to living your best life sis, and you know I wish that for all of my BGH queens.

XoXo

Nikki