Living with an STI - How to manage mental health???

There indeed is a difference in being positive mentally and getting a positive result in any lab test, especially when it is an STI test. It is understandable to be shocked at first; you’d

eventually try to figure out where you contracted the disease and later may feel ashamed for

something that wasn’t remotely even your fault.

Regardless of whether the STD that you contracted is curable or not, it is true that they do

carry a stigma with them, and you fear people would judge you if they get to know about

your diagnosis. As you feel shame or guilt, its possible for you to even slip into depression

without you getting to know about it. Every year there are thousands of people who fall prey

to depression and mental health issues after they test positive for an STI, and worst is that

they don’t even reach out to a counsellor or a medical practitioner for help.

As important as it is to ensure that you work on your physical health and get into good shape

to boost your immunity, keeping a positive outlook towards your life and a good mental

health is essential too. We’ll help you step by step into healing mentally when you are

diagnosed of an STI.

When you first get diagnosed of an STI, instead of panicking and blaming it on others, its

better to instead try to get as much information about it as you can. There run many rumours

and myths about any STI and its important to burst all the myths you’ve heard about yours.

Misinformation is always fatal and thus consult a good medical practitioner and discuss with

him/her as to how to go on with its treatment, precautions you need to take in order to not

pass it on to your present or future partners and how to keep healthy and live a normal life.

Listen to your doctor and take appropriate measures as directed by him/her and stay positive throughout. Most of the time its not the medicine that cures you but your outlook towards your treatment and your positivity that you get better.

Next it is important to tell the people close to you about your report, be careful that they are

the people whom you trust on your life, as it’s a relatively sensitive information. Don’t fear

that they would judge you, don’t be afraid that you’d in any manner hurt or disappoint them.

They are the people who would support you and care for you in this crucial time. Its their

care and empathy that’d help you heal eventually.

Also, its important to accept the reality and plan the road ahead, not that your life will change in any manner but just that you’d have to be a little extra cautious in future so as to not spread it further because every STI is contagious. Its okay to be a bit frustrated and emotionally drained after knowing about it but when life gives you lemons you have no choice but to play with those accordingly. Give yourself some time to process the news, understand what particularly is the issue that is bothering you and what are the possible ways in which you can find a solution for so. Write down your feelings and go through it, write everyday whatever progress you make on it.

Beyond that try to keep doing what you love, its only beneficial that you divert your mind

from the cat in the room, as overthinking about it won’t help you getting rid of it. Try to get

back to that old hobby of yours which you forgot over time as you got busy, rekindle the love

that you had for your habit.

Its opaque to you that irrespective of the STI that you have, you can get treated for it, whether it’s a complete treatment or just a suppressive therapy, you can get through it. Keep positive and have happy thoughts, wink wink, and it’d get fine!!!