{"id":30253,"date":"2016-01-07T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2016-01-07T16:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=30253"},"modified":"2017-05-19T10:26:25","modified_gmt":"2017-05-19T17:26:25","slug":"the-importance-of-stress-management-for-people-with-hivaids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/importance-of-stress-management-for-people-with-hiv-aids-0107165","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Stress Management for People with HIV\/AIDS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>Stress<\/a> is a state of physical, mental, and emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. It can also be a reaction people experience as they encounter rather routine changes in life, if the changes are frequent and ongoing.<\/p>\n

Stress is a normal reaction, but it can have a number of\u00c2\u00a0negative effects on the physical body. According to the National Institutes of Health, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153long-term stress may contribute to or worsen a range of health problems including digestive disorders, headaches, sleep disorders<\/a>, and other symptoms. Stress may worsen asthma and has been linked to depression<\/a>, anxiety<\/a>, and other mental\u00c2\u00a0[conditions].\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In addition, stress is\u00c2\u00a0known to suppress the human immune system. For all these reasons, it is particularly important for people living with HIV and AIDS to manage the level of stress in their lives.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to note that the last sentence reads \u00e2\u20ac\u0153manage\u00e2\u20ac\u009d stress and not \u00e2\u20ac\u0153eliminate\u00e2\u20ac\u009d stress. For nearly all of us, experiencing a certain level of stress is a routine part of our daily lives. Stress often arises as a response to change, and change, for better or worse, is a constant in most of our lives. So rather than spend time and energy toward eliminating stress, people living with HIV\/AIDS<\/a> could benefit from reducing and managing their stress levels.<\/p>\n

Decades of research has shown that both physical and emotional\/mental stress suppresses the human immune system. This essay will not focus on how this happens, but it is worthwhile to note that stress reduces the production of T-cells in the body. These are cells that help fight infection. Unfortunately, it is also the class of cells that HIV attacks in infected people. An individual living with HIV\/AIDS may have a lowered level of T-cells due to HIV. Ongoing physical and emotional\/mental stress will only add to this deficit.<\/p>\n

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In my years of experience working with the HIV\/AIDS community, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned many individuals in this group live with additional life stressors and, thus, elevated levels of stress. A few of these stressors include:<\/p>\n