Summarize the following:
One of the best things you can do to stay positive after your diagnosis is to take control of your disease and your life upfront. Learn as much as you can about HIV and address your feelings about your diagnosis early on. Just make sure that you are consulting reliable, research-based sources and not just relying on random things people have posted on the internet. Doing this can help you maintain perspective about your diagnosis.  Talk to your support team about what emotions and feelings you should expect. You can ask, “What are some of the common feelings that people with a diagnosis experience?” Learn about the signs that you may not be coping with your diagnosis well. You might say, “How can I overcome these feelings and stay positive?” Learn about the grief process and treatment modules for emotional distress. If you are newly diagnosed, or even if you were diagnosed sometime ago, you may have some difficulty accepting your HIV status. Denying that you have HIV can cause you additional problems, though. For example, if you avoid seeking treatment and doing things to maintain your health because you won’t admit you have HIV it can affect your physical health. It can also make it extremely difficult for you to maintain a positive attitude when you aren’t being honest with yourself about your HIV status.  When you find yourself thinking, “This can’t be happening to me,” you can try telling yourself, “I have HIV. I can manage it and still have a happy fulfilling life with it.” Writing, “I am HIV positive and I can live with it” is one way to help you accept your diagnosis. This can make the words and the situation concrete and real to you. Practice saying this out loud to those closest to you who are aware of your diagnosis. You can also practice saying this in the mirror. You may have some resentment and anger toward yourself or someone else about having HIV. This is normal and can be a common feeling about your diagnosis. Allowing these feelings to grow, however, can stop you from properly managing your HIV and cause problems in your relationships with other people. Work through your anger so that you can maintain a positive attitude.  Be honest with yourself if you’re feeling angry. You can say to yourself, “I’m angry at having this diagnosis and its okay for me feel this way along as I address it.” Talk to someone you trust about your feelings. For example, you can tell your therapist, “I’m feeling angry about having HIV and need some help working through it.” Be sure to discuss the stages of grief with your therapist as well, and keep in mind that they are not the same for everyone. Your HIV diagnosis may have raised concerns about your quality of life now and in the future. You may feel anxious or nervous about how you will handle treatment, maintain your health, or develop and maintain your relationships. You can keep anxiety from overwhelming you and keep a positive outlook by doing things one regular basis to relax and calm yourself.  If you feel an anxiety attack coming or notice you feel nervous, take a brief break from the situation and do some deep breathing to calm yourself. For example, if you're starting to feel anxious as you make a list of your medications, take a break and go for a walk. Focus on your breathing during your walk then go back to the list feeling calmer. Write down the specific things that are concerning you and brainstorm solutions to the challenges you’re experiencing. For example, you might write: telling people, the stigma, and keeping my stress down. Then think about how you can address each one. Share your concerns with someone close to you. Sometimes talking to someone you trust can help you keep things in perspective and lower your anxiety. Being grateful is one way you can balance any negativity you may be feeling and stay positive about life after your HIV diagnosis. Take the time to think about and express the things that you’re grateful for whether they are large or small.  Tell the people that you care about that you appreciate them. For example, you might pick one person a day to tell how much they man to you. Keep a gratitude journal and each day write down two to three things you’re grateful for.
Be proactive. Avoid denial. Address anger about your diagnosis. Tackle anxiety about the future. Express your gratitude.