Looking after yourself

Often, these problems come up when someone is newly diagnosed. After your HIV diagnosis you might decide to get advice about your immigration status or if you have leave-to-remain you may find yourself negotiating the housing or benefits system.

If you have been diagnosed late you may have been ill or in hospital and this is when problems with immigration, housing and money can become incredibly stressful. There is nothing worse than feeling ill and worrying about where you are going to live when you leave hospital, or how you are going to eat.

You may feel tempted to put your HIV aside and concentrate on your other problems, especially if you are not yet on HIV treatment, but it's really important to treat your HIV as seriously as your social problems. HIV damages the immune system and stress and illness will make this worse.

When you're going through a stressful time, one thing you can do is to take extra care of your immune system to keep it as strong as possible. Simple things can help, like getting enough sleep, managing stress, perhaps through talking to a counsellor and eating healthily.

If you are having financial problems there are ways to help you get enough to eat and you may be eligible for a Hardship Fund grant as well; speak to a professional helping you about this.

Don't ignore your HIV while you look at your other problems as it will be quietly causing damage to your immune system. Make sure you go to your medical appointments and remember to take any treatment you have been prescribed. Remember, myHIV has a range of online tools designed to help you remember medical appointments and medication times.