Personal Stories on Managing Mental Health
Did you know that you can find the H-I-V.net community on Instagram? Give us a follow @hiv_hu and check out some of our top posts on mental health below.
How are others managing their mental health?
The Importance of Finding Support - Khafre Kujichagulia Abif
"The support group was specificly for gay and bisexual men who were living with HIV. We met every Tuesday for an entire year. During those two hours, I found friendship, my way out of that dark place of isolation, shame, and fear. I enrolled in treatment and disclosed my status to my MaDear, my sisters and a host of family and friends."
What Stress Can Cause - Dee Conner
"If we have constant stress in our lives, it can lower our immune system. Continued, deep-rooted stress or depression or even devastating events will prompt an elevated viral load that can lower our CD4 (T-cell) count. There is research that shows us how stress can and will decrease the immune system of a person living with HIV, making it harder to fight off any infections."
Depression Is Real - Dee Conner
"Over the years, I still get depressed and there is nothing that has happened to trigger it: it just comes. I have taught myself how to deal with it and I know for me it’s triggered because of living with HIV. Some days it will last a few hours, sometimes a day or two. When this happens, I tell my family that I am not in the best of moods, but I also work very hard to keep the depression from getting worse..."
Welcome to 20 ! 20 - JT Otis, M.Mus.
"That voice in the back of our head that prevents us from being the best human being we can be. It is that little voice that keeps us from making our doctors’ appointments, taking our medications every day, or getting out of bed. It is the voice that can make or break our joy. We often don’t control the things that happen around us. We do control first how we think and then how we respond."
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