Whatever you didn't do before being HIV positive , heres a chance to have a second try.. This is the time where HIV can work for you or against you. Let it work for you and embrace it and let it become part of your makeup. fully accept your HIV status and find support from people and you will excel in every area of your life.

Never allowing HIV to dictate who you are or where you want to be in your future self. Remain positive and optimistic, stay away from negative people who thrive on other peoples misfortunes.

Staying undetectable is key for me

If you believe in God, he is your resource for comfort and healing, you need to have faith and believe he exists, like I do. I believe this is why I live a full productive life being diagnosed 39 years ago, perhaps longer than you've been around, and having children and grandchildren, all conceived during and after my diagnosis. If you don't believe, then live an optimistic life away from negative people who relish the idea of you failing and only try to take from you what they can. Surround yourself with family, grandchildren, be social with likeminded people who are aware of your situation and have a genuinely caring and nurturing attitude that you can feel their vibe. And what @A myHIVteam Member says, don't let it get inside your head and let it fester any thoughts of doom and gloom because allowing it will surely bring your internal defenses down, where you don't want to be. One of the biggest things I find is being engaged here on this platform is extremely satisfying for me and also healing as I share my experiences and provide input that may or may not help someone. I hope this helps. Aloha! Oh! almost forgot, go out, buy yourself a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts and spoil yourself sometimes.

Mentioned Users

A myHIVte...

For me, I found being boldly open about my status has gone a long way. Outside of work, I am quite open about my status. Doing so, over the years, has resulted in a number of random strangers reaching out to me asking for help... The kind of help that only someone who has been diagnosed can offer.

I've gotten everything from "Help! I've just been diagnosed, and I don't know what to do!" to "I just got with someone, then they told me they're HIV+. What do I need to know?" I'd rather have people with honest questions come to someone like me and ask these kinds of things out of curiosity to properly educate themselves than to run in fear of what they don't know like so many people do.

So really, for me, it's all about being out there and being that safe person that people (even complete strangers) can reach out to for information. The only people who can truly advocate for us and help stamp out stigma is us... the ones who truly understand, as we live it.