The holidays are coming, which means that everybody is probably stressed out. When you are living with HIV, this can be an especially hard part of the year. To get through it, we really have to try and relax and worry less. Being stressed has such a bad impact on our bodies, and it can make us sick and also unhappy. For those of us living with HIV, it can be really hard to stay positive- but there is nothing more important than being optimistic.

“Some of the things I focus on are the beauty of being with family, being able to go out and do things with friends, the beach, the fresh air, my plants and my animals that I love so much.”

Because of that, I’m trying to find practical ways to be more positive and in control of my own feelings. It can be very exhausting to be sick all the time, especially during the holidays. As bad as we feel, we are still so lucky to be on this planet. So, we have to try and be grateful and mindful of the little things. When we talk to people, we have to focus more on the awesome things about life. Some of the things I focus on are the beauty of being with family, being able to go out and do things with friends, the beach, the fresh air, my plants and my animals that I love so much. It is way too easy to sit on the couch and feel bad, so I push myself to get out and take advantage of every single day.

“…You need to try to give yourself something! Have a positive outlook and celebrate yourself!”

In 2018, focus on YOU! Don’t worry about everyone else. You have to focus on yourself. In order to get through the holidays, prioritize yourself. This season is about giving, so you need to try to give yourself something! Have a positive outlook and celebrate yourself! Wake up and be thankful that you’re here. We are so lucky to be here. Think about the things you love that make life beautiful. Try to get out. I am excited to get out on the water, to kayak, to do yoga, and walk around the yard. There are so many amazing things in life to enjoy. When I’m at home, I am thankful for the quiet and the peace that surrounds me. I enjoy hearing the birds in the evening. I go out right before sunset and talk to my plants, listen to the animals. Every night I want to go to bed thankful and happy to be alive.

Happy Holidays and here’s to a great New Year coming up!

“Being a pen pal helps me as much as it helps the other person,” she explained. “I can take that and use it.”

Based on many of the conversations we have had with the women who participate in our Let’s Talk About it Sisterhood Pen Pal program, it seems like one of the hardest things to deal with when living with HIV is the isolation and alienation that women are often forced to deal with. Our program seeks to break down some of these barriers of isolation, but it can go so much farther than that. Many women make amazing and profound connections between their roles as pen pals and other justice work they are involved in.

“You learn that you can’t give up. No matter how bad what’s happening is.”

I am thinking, right now, of one specific woman I spoke with who linked her pen pal-ship with work she is doing and has been doing for incarcerated women. She drew fluid connections between these two spheres of her life. She discussed the connections she makes with women currently incarcerated, and how it “means so much to hear from someone who has been in the same position…it’s the power of reaching out to strangers, who maybe you will never meet, but are in a situation that you know. That’s so strong.”

She discussed how she draws power from her role as a pen pal and applies it to the other work she is involved in. “Being a pen pal helps me as much as it helps the other person,” she explained. “I can take that and use it.” She talked about the power of resilience and persistence that women living with HIV and women trapped in the prison system have to learn. “Being a pen pal, or being there for someone who just needs it…that’s huge. You learn that you can’t give up. No matter how bad what’s happening is. You keep up.”