The relationships we tolerate can reflect what we unconsciously believe we deserve.

We may learn early to suppress our wants and needs, making it hard to identify what they are.

Self-advocacy is one of the most direct ways we can begin to act from a place of worth.

For nearly 15 years, I drove across town to see my doctor.

When I learned I was HIV positive after getting tested in 2009, I wanted to go to a clinic as far away from where I lived as possible. I felt so much shame, I didn't want to risk running into anyone I knew.

Even though the clinic was almost an hour from where I lived without traffic, I got in my car and drove across town. Every time I got blood work or needed to see my medical provider for a regular check-up, I made the same drive.

What's more, I never really felt like my provider was on my side. Like being in a relationship with someone who tolerates you, but doesn't genuinely have your best interests in mind.

My first doctor after I was diagnosed was on my side. She immediately jumped in and told me everything we needed to do to get me treatment and my T-cell count to a healthy level so I could become undetectable. But for the past seven years, since my doctor retired, I'd been seeing someone I genuinely........

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