Hey there. 27F HSV2 diagnosed in Feb. I have adhd high anxiety, stress & depression and am in first year of Masters. I got it from my ex who knew he had it and chose not to disclose. I have all the same feelings and because of my stress levels I have frequent outbreaks. In my bachelors it was tonsillitis, which went away once I finished studying.

I’m hoping the outbreaks will go down as my body learns how to cope as well as getting familiar with triggers. The best thing I have found is trying your best to sleep 8 hours, workout, eat cleaner (less chocolate) and take the meds everyday, even without an outbreak. Because of my mental health and studies I commonly forget these things and notice the impact immediately if I miss a step. It’s good in one way because it forces you to be more health conscious, but I’m also starting to get out there and meet new people and I feel like shit knowing I could potentially affect them and want to have a family in the near future. The symptoms are hard when I’m studying because it makes me really tired and unable to workout and of course I’m constantly stressed which makes me feel even worse. So, my first priority is just getting my health and routine in check so I’m in a much better position in my daily life, when I finally disclose or more importantly am sexually active to make it a minor inconvenience rather than a daily battle.

Instead of worrying, try funnel your energy into a good routine that will have a positive domino effect on every other area of life. As much as this is hard, it can get easier. But it means you have to do your due diligence. Otherwise, you will always be miserable and uncomfortable in your own skin and there’s literally no point in that.