Counsellor Saviour Ntaulu

29/08/2022

Self-care is a significant part of self-love. When you love yourself, you recognize signs of burnout and can take steps to reduce your stress. Without self-love, you might not believe you deserve a break. The thought of doing something “just for me” might be very challenging to accept. You are therefore more likely to power through a stressful time even when it hurts. People with healthy self-love are more willing to take time to care for themselves when they’re stressed.

Remember to inbox me for counseling
Contact+260762048954
Email:saviourntaulu02@gmail.com

26/08/2022

What are the effects of HIV stigma and discrimination?

HIV stigma and discrimination affect the emotional well-being and mental health of people living with HIV. People living with HIV often internalize the stigma they experience and begin to develop a negative self-image. They may fear they will be discriminated against or judged negatively if their HIV status is revealed.

“Internalized stigma” or “self-stigma” happens when a person takes in the negative ideas and stereotypes about people living with HIV and start to apply them to themselves. HIV internalized stigma can lead to feelings of shame, fear of disclosure, isolation, and despair. These feelings can keep people from getting tested and treated for HIV.

What causes HIV stigma?

HIV stigma is rooted in a fear of HIV. Many of our ideas about HIV come from the HIV images that first appeared in the early 1980s. There are still misconceptions about how HIV is transmitted and what it means to live with HIV today.

The lack of information and awareness combined with outdated beliefs lead people to fear getting HIV. Additionally, many people think of HIV as a disease that only certain groups get. This leads to negative value judgements about people who are living with HIV.

25/08/2022

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23/08/2022

Most of us have experienced some sort of insecurity about our appearance, abilities, skills, or personality traits in our lifetime. Focusing on the negative aspects of ourselves can make us blind to the positive traits we have. Although we all may have something we don’t like about ourselves, through counseling, we can also learn to accept our flaws and imperfections as a part of being human. With self-acceptance comes self-love, self-compassion, and a stronger sense of self-confidence. You will be able to improve your weaknesses by building upon your strengths.

23/08/2022

UNRESOLVED MENTAL WOUNDS
Have you ever wondered why you or someone you know have a hot temper; have trouble setting boundaries; people pleasing at the expense of your own needs; have a strong desire for external validation; have a need to fix broken people; always seems to attract toxic people; have a fear of abandonment; have a tolerance for abusive behaviour; have a need for fixing others.
The list is long but if you take a deep look at yourself you will acknowledge and identify with one or more of these attributes. These deep emotions have affected the way you interact with the people around you. Infact, in some cases they have literally ruined your life and some of your relationships.
The reason is that you could be struggling with unresolved childhood trauma.
Childhood trauma comes in many forms. It is not limited to s*xual or physical abuse. Other forms of childhood trauma include growing up in a large family; a parent who was not emotionally available; losing a parent at young age; long standing childhood illness; a parent who suffered chronic or debilitating illness; verbal abuse from your parents to mention a few.
If you take a close and honest look at how you deal with situations in your life it will become clear that the reason you keep repeating certain behaviours that you don't like could as a result of unhealed childhood trauma. You might want to get help. You need to see a mental health expert to help you identify these issues and to help you resolve them. We often sabotage ourselves because we have deep underlying issues that keep getting in the way of us living a rich and fulfilling life.

21/08/2022

18/08/2022

Should You Get Tested for HIV?
CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care. People should get tested more often when they have had more than one s*x partner or are having s*x with someone whose s*xual history they don’t know. Some s*xually active gay and bis*xual men may benefit from more frequent testing (e.g., every 3 to 6 months).

If your last HIV test result was negative, the test was more than one year ago, and you can answer yes to any of the following questions, then you should get an HIV test as soon as possible:

Are you a man who has had s*x with another man?
Have you had s*x—anal or vaginal—with a partner who has HIV?
Have you had more than one s*x partner since your last HIV test?
Have you injected drugs and shared needles, syringes, or other injection drug equipment (for example, cookers) with others?
Have you exchanged s*x for drugs or money?
Have you been diagnosed with, or treated for, another s*xually transmitted infection?
Have you been diagnosed with or treated for hepatitis or tuberculosis (TB)?
Have you had s*x with someone who could answer "yes" to any of the above questions or someone whose s*xual history you don't know?
Are you pregnant or trying to get pregnant? As part of proactive prenatal care, all pregnant women should receive certain blood tests to detect infections and other illnesses, such as HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis B. Talk to a health care provider about these tests.

Also, anyone who has been s*xually assaulted or has had a high-risk exposure to HIV should consider taking post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and getting an HIV antigen test that can detect infection sooner than standard antibody testing. PEP may prevent HIV infection after possible exposure to HIV if it is started as soon as possible within 3 days after exposure to HIV.

17/08/2022

7,400 Living with HIV in Samfya

By ZANIS Staffer
THE Ministry of Health in Samfya District has disclosed that 7,400 people are living with HIV.

Speaking during the commemoration of the National HIV Testing, Counseling and Treatment (HTCT) day in Chipako Village on Monday, Samfya District Health Director Kelvin Sinkala who was represented by Zaccheus Lungu said out of the 7,400 about 5,600 people are on HIV medication.

Mr. Sinkala observed that it is saddening some people still do not want to know their HIV status despite it being done confidentially and free.

"Look at Chipako village, it has a population of about 3,600 but only 41 people have undergone the HIV testing,” he said.

Mr. Sinkala noted that the district is up to date on the necessary requirements that one needs to know about their HIV status.

Meanwhile, Samfya Mayor James Kapilila who was represented by the District Administration Officer Lawrence Kalonga encouraged the public to be tested for HIV.

Mr. Kapilila noted that government is committed to ensure that the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS move in tandem.

"The only way to know your HIV status is by getting tested as it is the powerful information needed to keep you and your partner healthy,” he said.

And a person living with HIV Exildah Kasabe disclosed that being HIV positive is not a death sentence but a different chapter of one’s life.

Mrs. Kasabe stated that she has been HIV positive since 2007 and started taking medication in 2008.

“I just came to accept it and started taking my medication and until now I am fit and able to do hard jobs, making me to live a normal life like any other person in the village,” she said.

Mrs. Kasabe further encouraged the people in her village not to be shy but go to any health facility to know their HIV status.

17/08/2022

HIV Stigma still remains an issue among populations living with the Virus and those at High Risk.

When talking about HIV, certain words and language may have a negative meaning for people at high risk for HIV or those who have HIV.
We can do our part to stop HIV stigma by being intentional and thoughtful when choosing our words, and choosing to use supportive—rather than stigmatizing— language when talking about HIV.

The fight against HIV belongs to all of us.

17/08/2022

You can experience physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms if you have test anxiety.

Physical symptoms may include:

excessive sweating
nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
stomach pain
rapid heartbeat
shortness of breath
headaches
feeling lightheaded or faint
Emotional symptoms of test anxiety can include feelings of:

self-doubt
fear
stress
hopelessness
inadequacy
anger
You may also feel nervous, restless, or fidgety.

Anxiety can also cause difficulty concentrating. You may feel like your thoughts are jumbled and you’ve forgotten everything that you’ve learned. You can also become more indecisive, and you may struggle to choose between two different answers.

In severe cases of test anxiety, these symptoms may be a precursor to or part of a panic attack.

17/08/2022

Let's talk what's bothering you??????????

17/08/2022

Take care of yourself. It can help to learn ways to calm yourself down and relax when you're tense or anxious. For some people, this might mean learning a simple breathing exercise. Practicing breathing exercises regularly (when you're not stressed out) helps your body see these exercises as a signal to relax.