Herpes and love
Today the world is celebrating Valentines Day (or, as I’ve also heard it called “Singles Awareness Day.”) There’s a lot of talk of lovers loving together in a warm cocoon of lovely love … almost nauseating, huh? If you happen to be single on this day of love, it might feel like a cold, lonely day — like the day itself is rubbing your face in your unfortunate singlehood. At first blush, herpes and love might seem to be mutually exclusive: one wipes out the other. But that’s simply not a fair way to look at it when you just want to be happy. Let’s look at how we can turn this beloved holiday into a positive, shall we?
Herpes statistics
There are a lot of herpes statistics that are thrown around these days. Here they all are in one place for your convenience. (To see a handy visual chart of population breakdown, download the free herpes disclosure e-book here.) More >
Herpes healing process: The 5 stages
[Note: To be clear, this article is about your process in healing in your mind and in your relationship to yourself. If you're looking for help with the physical part of dealing with herpes, check out these articles.]
When you first get genital herpes, a process begins. This process is known as the Kübler-Ross grief cycle and applies to anyone who has been impacted by a life-changing circumstance, everything from people dying of cancer to people like us dealing with the ramifications of an incurable STD. Also, please read The herpes self-acceptance process.
Onto the 5 stages of herpes healing …
More >
Herpes and serenity
I believe there is truth in everything. This is no exception. The Serenity Prayer is one of those truisms that can apply to so much. So let’s apply it to herpes and see how its truth can help us move past blaming ourselves and hanging out in the past, in the “what ifs.”
Virtual (phone-only) herpes support group [VIDEO]
Join us for a facilitated LIVE over-the-phone support group for whoever wants to share, however you would like to share. Be there to talk or be there to listen. Be there to support or be there to be supported.
Or all the above.
Your awesomeness overshadows herpes
What if herpes itself isn’t actually bad? [Gasp] What if it’s just blocking your own awesomeness?
No, this isn’t blowing rainbows, unicorns and puppy dog tails into your eardrums. This is real. This is true. And you know it. You are totally awesome. Own it. It might just be hard to see when your focus is squarely on herpes. But what about focusing on you? What if you are the reason herpes is not a big deal? More >
The key to being happy with herpes? Give up hope.
Are you suffering with herpes? (Key word here being “suffering.”) Well, here’s the secret to moving on, to being happy: Just give up.
Hold on, stop the temper tantrum. Get up off the floor. Let’s be clear: Don’t give up on everything. Keep that good, positive hope. Give up that irrational hope you’re clinging to. That just-out-of-your-reach hope that’s keeping you from moving on with your life. Give up that nagging hope of finding a herpes cure (although it may happen). Give up hope that you’ll never have an outbreak again (although they do lessen with time). Give up hope that one day saying “I have herpes” to a potential partner will be easy-breezy (although disclosing can actually be a connecting experience). Give up hope that at some point, that herpes outbreak won’t impact you in any way (although with time, it impacts you less and less). More >
The herpes talk: What are you so ashamed of?
Scenario: You meet someone. You really like this someone. Definite connection. Definite mojo. The time for the herpes disclosure — “Hey, got a minute? I have herpes” — is here. What is this time like for you? What feelings come up? Fear? Shame? Guilt? Avoidance? Those are all common reactions, but let’s dig deeper as to why these might be showing up … More >
Herpes Opportunity radio interview
Coach Betty Live interviewed me about the Herpes Opportunity. We talk about a range of topics, including herpes shame, herpes facts and statistics and how the phone-based herpes opportunity support group can be so powerful and healing. Thanks for the interview, Betty!
How the heck can herpes be an opportunity?
Herpes? An opportunity? Yeah, I get the confusion. How can those two things even be put in the same sentence? But getting herpes was a real life-changer for me. But in a different way than you might imagine …
I got herpes years ago. In short, I saw herpes as a dead end. I wanted to die. Herpes meant a lot of horrible things to me: It meant I was going to be unloved, rejected, alone. It was the physical manifestation of my worst fear: no one loved me. Name all those heavy emotions — I felt them all. Anger. Shame. Self-pity. Disgust. Despair. Loneliness. Hopelessness. And eventually … numbness. Underneath it all was the question, “Am I really worthy of love?” I was terrified of the answer; so I suppressed even asking myself the question. Denial was my key to not feeling. A self-fulfilling prophecy set in.
Fast forward many years … More >
