Coping with the everyday stresses
of having HIV
Life is full of stresses, big and
small. Sometimes stress can make it
hard to sleep and can cause an upset
stomach (indigestion), high blood
pressure, or you may have problems
controlling your anger or sadness.
As an HIV-positive youth it’s
important for you to keep your stress
low and keep things in perspective.
Everyone has their own ways of dealing
with stress. Here are a few ways youth
in Canada deal with stress. Try out
a few and see how they work for you.
10 Ways to deal with stress:
- Meditation: Studies show
that meditation lowers stress and
blood pressure. Some people call
meditation ‘quieting your mind.’
Let your thoughts come and go as
they please - and live in the moment.
To meditate, begin by sitting straight
and comfortably on the floor. Breathe
through your nose and try not to
keep track of time. Focus on the
moment. If you find you are thinking
of other things you can try to focus
on a word or sound. Also, you can
buy meditation tapes at most health
food or new age stores that will
take you through a relaxing “guided”
meditation.
- Deep breathing: You focus
on your breathing. Take deep breaths
and slowly inhale and exhale. It’s
hard to think of much else when
you are focusing on breathing.
- Muscle relaxation: Get
into a comfortable position (probably
lying on your back) and notice where
your muscles are tense. Try now
to relax those muscles. A lot of
people find that their jaw, tongue,
neck and shoulders hold a lot of
tension.
- Using your imagination:
Imagine you are in a nice place.
Some people imagine looking at the
mountains or being by the ocean.
While you imagine the place, concentrate
on the sights, sounds and smells
of that place. You can get tapes
from the library or your local health
food or new age store that have
the sounds of waterfalls, the ocean,
birds and other soothing sounds
that can help you with this.
- Exercise: Try stretching
out your muscles. Do some jumping
jacks or jogging in one place to
warm your body up. Or, you can good
out for a walk or run in the fresh
air. Moving your body helps get
rid of stress and the fresh air
is good for your body! It can be
a very refreshing way to change
your mood.
- Get lots of sleep: Since
you are youth you need more sleep
than other people because your body
is growing and changing. Sleep also
helps keep your immune system in
‘tip-top’ shape.
- Be creative: Music, poetry
and art are ways to express your
inner thoughts. Try it out. Grab
a pen and paper and write lyrics
to a song, a poem, start a journal
or draw a picture. You can even
grab a camera and take some pictures!
- Have fun: I know our lives
can get really busy – but we
have to make room for things we
really love to do. Listen to music
that makes you feel good, meditate,
go to a yoga class. Hang out with
a friend or a family member, take
up a sport, have coffee and read
a good book. Take a long bath or
go shopping! Sometimes laughter
can make a stressful situation a
lot better! Do things that make
you feel good about yourself. You
deserve it!!
- Spend some time on your own:
Take a moment every day to stop
and have a few moments alone before
you start your busy day. Try stopping
while walking and listening to the
sound of birds, the wind or other
things you may miss. Some people
read an inspirational quote or journal
first thing in the morning to help
them get ready for the day.
- Reflect: Think back to
what has helped you relax and deal
with difficult situations in the
past.
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