Getting short of breath, whether through exercise, dancing, singing or shouting, helps release some of this pent up emotion. When a backlog of emotion builds up in our body our muscles tense up trying to hold onto them. Its difficult for energy to flow through tense muscles so we need to stretch our muscles out again and release the fear.
Take control
An HIV diagnosis creates an avalanche of emotions and dramatically reduces our ability to cope with uncertainty. Uncertainty generates anxiety, so the more certainty and control we can create in our lives the less anxiety we will experience. By organising ourselves, paying off bills, making ‘to do’ lists, tidying our home, or settling our debts, we can reduce the overall level of uncertainty in our lives. Creating a good support network of those we can trust and rely on will also dramatically reduce levels of anxiety. So we know we are not alone in facing this disease.
We also need enough time to let off steam, listen to how we are feeling, and digest what’s happening to us. We need to prioritise our needs and create enough time to exercise and let off steam, and enough time to pause and listen to how we’re feeling deep inside rather than waiting till bedtime. We need to prioritise time to be listened to and supported through this.
Living with HIV - to emphasise this once more - means dealing with an avalanche of emotions. Alcohol can help us numb out from them; coke, Es, K, and other escapes can help us block these out briefly; cigarettes can help us sit on them, but none of these help us release them. We can manage the stress of HIV by facing these feelings with support, and releasing them rather than suppressing them. So release the steam and take control.