22 Thursday Dec 2016
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I really don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions but this would be a really good one to aspire to. We should all discover our passion and spend time pursuing the things that make us happy.
To everyone who celebrates Christmas, have a wonderful and joyful day!
08 Thursday Dec 2016
Posted in Advice, Change, Creativity, Positivity
Almost every person that I speak to (except for a few brilliant/lucky exceptions) has said that 2016 was a terrible year.
Some won’t even be so kind as to say terrible.
It’s difficult to understand what would make a year so awful. Is it the year itself? 365 days of misery?
Is there just a general sense of negativity and unease in the world today?
Then what do we want from 2017? Of course… a better year!
So when midnight strikes on the 31st of December 2016, something will magically change and 2017 will start off in a better way?
Unlikely!
If we want 2017 to be better than this year, we have to make conscious and real decisions about what we are going to do to take control over our lives.
A year does not control us.
What happens in the world does not control us – unless we let it do so.
Now is a brilliant time to plan what you are going to start doing differently. Yes, you have to do something differently because if your life was working out so well, you wouldn’t be reading this!
Do something different.
Make a change. It doesn’t have to be your job or your relationship but it has to be something.
Some ideas for you:
– Change your hairstyle
– Volunteer at a charity
– Have longer baths
– Make something rather than buy it
– Sign up for an online course
– Make time for friends
– Use more glitter
I look forward to hearing some of your brilliant ideas
01 Thursday Dec 2016
Posted in Change, Coping skills, HIV, Positivity
Tags
abuse, AIDS, HIV, HIV rights, Saying no, surviving, World Aids Day
How did it get to be December?
And suddenly it is World Aids Day.
I have been involved in HIV education and counselling since 1993 and it is a totally different world today compared to how we dealt with HIV then. I did a lot of work in helping people to accept death and making peace with their lives.
I was involved in trying to reduce stigma towards people living with HIV.
Today it is clearly not a death sentence to be diagnosed with HIV. People live long and healthy lives with HIV. And people are generally OK enough to make their status public.
What would be ideal though would be if less people were becoming infected with HIV through abusive relationships.
I still see a lot of women who feel powerless against their abusive spouses who do not care to use condoms even though they know that they are putting themselves and their partners at risk.
These are the people who worry me the most.
So it is OK to say out loud that you are HIV positive but it is not OK to ask your partner to use a condom and be respected for your choice?
My real wish is that AIDS day is not just something that comes along once a year and everyone wears red ribbons, lights candles and says a prayer. My wish is for people to have freedom within their relationships. To have the right to stand up and say no.
No to having unprotected sex, no to being treated as less worthy, no to having to answer to somebody, no to being abused in any kind of way.
To everyone who is going through a hard time – here’s to you – you, the survivor, you – with a voice to be heard.
I am constantly inspired by people like you who keep on going no matter how tough it is.
Thank you for making the choice to do things differently!
I don't want to be stressed 