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Being diagnosed with HIV can be quite traumatic. You go through a whole spiral of emotions and it can leave you very vulnerable and scared. But as you recuperate from the initial shock and start reading up on the modern treatment options, you will see that it is not half as scary as you immediately thought. You will have to make some adjustments, but at the same time, your life will continue, work, dating even a family it is all still within your reach. There are a lot of HIV positive singles who are looking for partners while leading full and happy lives. All you need to do is adjust and not let the disease take over your life. It is a part of you, it is not who you are.
Make sure you get the right kind of support
If you are lucky you will have a loving family to support you as well as a great group of friends. But more often than not, this is not the case, especially because HIV tends to appear the most within the vulnerable LGBTQ community, and in a lot of cases, members of this community have been ostracized by their families. But there is a huge silver lining. There are a lot of support groups organized for people with HIV. Meetings are held every day and you can join in whenever you want. Being a part of such a group means that you will be surrounded by people who are just like you. They understand your insecurities, your fears, and they can help you overcome those and get back to living a normal life. Even the most loving family members do not understand what you are going through, therapy is always helpful, but a support group is the best way of facing the newly developed situation that you have found yourself in.
Don’t stop doing what you love
When you get your diagnosis you might think that your life, as you know it, is going to stop existing. This should not be the case. First and foremost, consult your physician regarding the options you have when it comes to treatment and doing all the activities you have been doing so far. Staying active, taking care of your nutrition, these are all a must if you want to live a long life with HIV. But you can also do everything else you have done so far. The only thing that you need to do is inform people around you of your condition, that way if something happens or you get injured, they will now the proper procedures and be able to respond correctly in any given situation. This is both for your and their safety.
You can still have a love life and a family
This is the biggest fear for anyone diagnosed with HIV, that they won’t find love or be able to have a family. First of all, you can opt to date within the HIV positive community, this can take out the need to reveal your condition to your new partner, as you are both open about it right away. Dating outside the community requires a bit more courage, as you will have to inform your date about HIV and also be ready for possible rejection. The rejection is usually due to lack of information and the stigma that surrounds this condition. And as for the family, medicine offers a lot of ways you can have your biological child who will not be HIV positive when they are born, just talk to your physician regarding options.
As you can see, your new diagnosis does not define you. Yes, it requires certain adjustments and lifestyle changes, but in the end, you are still you and you get to live a long and rich life, just make sure you follow the advice of your chosen medical professional.
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This content is sponsored by Stefan Simonovic.
Photo: Shutterstock