Don’t Allow Hepatitis C & Stigma to Control You

Changing your thoughts and attitudes about how hepatitis affects your life is one of the first proactive steps you take toward a healthy future. When I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, I made a profound decision: “Hepatitis C lived with me, I didn’t live with it”. My life was and is filled with so much more than dealing with hepatitis C. I choose not to allow hepatitis C to be in the driver’s seat of my emotions.

Domino effect

The domino effect with hepatitis C related to stress can affect every part of your body. By allowing hepatitis C to cause emotional upset, can dominate your thoughts which causes worry and stress, in turn, this suppresses your immune system and affects sleep. Emotional stress affects our physical health.

If you allow stigma, worry, and emotional upset to take over your life, you’re harming yourself further as your body fights hepatitis C. Don’t allow hepatitis C or the actions of others from stigma to harm your emotional well-being. There are many things in life we can’t control, but we can control our choices, attitudes, and thoughts.

Change your focus

Look for the good things in your life. Concentrate on reaching out to others and enjoying life instead of allowing hepatitis C to overshadow your joy. Proactive decisions lead to positive actions that affect your life in a good way. These include:

• Finding a good physician
• Building your healthcare team
• Get tested
• Seeking treatment
• Eating nutritious foods
• Exercise
• Connecting with a support group of others who understand what you’re going through and receive encouragement
• Working on your recovery plan
• Concentrating on all the good things (large and small) in your life
• Concentrate on steps for a good future

Your thoughts affect your life

Thinking like a winner is the first step toward becoming a winner. Think it, believe it and act like it. Repeat this out loud, “I am a warrior. I am a winner. I am more than a survivor; I am an overcomer!”.

There is a proverb from the Bible that magnifies this great truth, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” Proverbs 4:23 NCV

Don’t allow hepatitis C or the stigma from others to be in the driver’s seat of your emotional well-being. You’re an overcomer!