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Scroll To Top![1. Don’t freak out. (Click More to Read)](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 752 563'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![2. Start treatment.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 752 563'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![3. Get help.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 752 563'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![4. Tell someone.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 752 563'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![5. Educate yourself.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 752 563'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![6. Join a support group.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 752 563'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![7. End your bad habits.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 752 563'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![8. Embrace healthy living.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 752 563'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![9. Go on a date.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 752 563'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![10. Play safe.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 752 563'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
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1. Don’t freak out. (Click More to Read)
Okay, you’re freaking out. Of course you are. It’s a normal response to learning you’re HIV-positive. But take a moment to breathe. Because this news is not as bad as you think it is. I’m not trying to be trite or belittle what you are going through, but things have changed so much, even in the past couple of years; and they make having HIV so much less life-altering than it once was. HIV may have once seemed like a death sentence but it is now a manageable chronic disease like diabetes. You are more likely to die of heart disease than of AIDS-related complications. You will keep living, you will keep loving, you will still have a happy life. So breathe. It's going to be okay.