Beyond Herpes: Embracing Self-Awareness and Empowerment
There is only so much to say about the herpes virus itself.
While educational and empowering, researching and sharing statistics, facts, and transmission rates of herpes can become obsessive and even self-stigmatizing.
It is imperative for people living with herpes to remember: you have herpes you are not herpes.
This affirmation further guides self-awareness to the distinction between helping oneself and others vs. attempting to control an outcome related to diagnosis —whether thats acceptance, validation, or symptom management.
The most effective way to control your diagnostic outcome is to lessen herpes’ power over your life.
Create a self-care routine if stress is one of your triggers. Make a basic guide for partners so you don’t need to devote extra time to education (especially those who favor stigma over fact).
Herpes inhabits more humans than most realize, but it does not need to inhabit all our thought processes.
How much time do you devote educating others about what herpes is rather than who you are?