Herp A Derp Podcast

*As always, you can review my episodes on YouTube, Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find link to the channel on the podcast Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page @herpaderppodcast Thanks!

Hey Herp A Derpers!

When we are at a growing point in our lives, it is our choice to learn, change or accept. Courtney and I discuss how we accept ourselves for who we are by not letting herpes define who we are and how he started a non-profit based off his podcast Something Positive for Positive People.

Feel free to share or comment on this podcast episode, through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or email at [email protected]. Anchor listeners can now leave voice messages after listening to the podcast. Its super fun to do and share your thoughts. Life is all about confidence.

Show Notes:

Something Positive for Positive People Non-Profit Website:

https://www.spfpp.org/

Something Positive for Positive People Podcast:

https://www.spfpp.org/podcast

Herp A Derp. A podcast about breaking the stigma on herpes and empowering the community. I'm your host, Erin Devost

*As always, you can review my episodes on YouTube, Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find link to the channel on the podcast Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page @herpaderppodcast Thanks!

Hey Herp A Derpers!

Wanted to share a quick few special happenings coming up in October for Herp A Derp! October is a big month because it is momentous to Herp A Derp and myself on so many levels. It’s my herp-anniversary (the month I was diagnosed) and Herpes Awareness Day is October 13th. We will be dedicated the month to awareness and loving yourself. I’ll be working with Herpes Awareness Philippines and Health Heroes for a collaboration on loving our herpes as Love Bumps.

September can be a stressful month. It feels like so much has been changing, not just the seasons, but levels of happiness and stress. No matter what stress that comes unexpectedly through work and life, we can always prepare remedies to help calm our outbreaks.

September Stresses are a real thing. Life and work can weigh in as much as we can find ways out.

Managing stress in healthy ways may help reduce how often you have a genital herpes outbreak. Ongoing stress -- that lasting more than a week -- seems to trigger outbreaks more than any other lifestyle factor.

How do you manage your upcoming outbreak? Do you feel it coming and how to you stress relieve from it?

Feel free to share or comment on this podcast episode, through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or email at [email protected]. Anchor listeners can now leave voice messages after listening to the podcast. Its super fun to do and share your thoughts. Life is all about confidence.

*As always, you can review my episodes on YouTube, Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find link to the channel on the podcast Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page @herpaderppodcast Thanks!

Hey Herp A Derpers!

“HANDS Stands with Marginalized Communities & Inclusive Companies, Orgs, and Educators”

There recently was a post on a popular meme Instagram account that caused an uproar of attention and correction to factual information about herpes. While HANDS took immediate action, there was little response from account who published the posts only to find out they had blocked herpes activists from the account. The individuals were simply trying to educate the account holder, so the followers do not mislead with the stigma around herpes. I must admit some of them I was baffled by the head of the Instagram account to be a nurse working with patients with STIs and yet they were being hurtful to vulnerable people who are in new stages of the herpes diagnosis.

It’s important to educate everyone around us. We can’t continue to laugh about herpes jokes that make no sense when there is sensitivity to our emotions plus physical response from a herpes diagnosis. Listen to this week’s biweekly episode to find out the details of what happened and the continuous reminder on how far we have to go as a society to eliminate stigma on social media.

Feel free to share or comment on this podcast episode, through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or email at [email protected]. Anchor listeners can now leave voice messages after listening to the podcast. Its super fun to do and share your thoughts. Life is all about confidence.

Show Notes

HANDS Stands with Marginalized Communities & Inclusive Companies, Orgs, and Educators https://herpes.education/hands-stands-with-marginalized-communities-inclusive-companies-orgs-and-educators/

*As always, you can review my episodes on YouTube, Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find link to the channel on the podcast Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page @herpaderppodcast Thanks!

Hey Herp A Derpers! 

Recently I came across the Kinsey scale. 

Fact #1 about it: The Kinsey Scale is not an actual test. However, all are professionally-designed personality tests (or inventories) meant for measuring heterosexual and homosexual behavior in relation to gender roles in the Western world. 

The Kinsey scale, also called the Heterosexual–Homosexual Rating Scale, is used in research to describe a person's sexual orientation based on one’s experience or response at a given time. The scale typically ranges from 0, meaning exclusively heterosexual, to a 6, meaning exclusively homosexual — based on hours of interviews.

The Kinsey Scale does not address all possible sexual identities and does not purport to accommodate respondents who identify as non-binary. Contrary to popular belief, Kinsey was not a behaviorist, but granted that sexuality is much broader than simply lived behavior.

You aren't meant to come away from this guide thinking that the Kinsey is the only option for self-definition; if anything, questioning it is a pretty valid way of determining how you feel about sexual identity, fluidity, attraction, and experience. But it's been one of the basics of queer identity since the '50s. So, if nothing else, consider this an important history lesson in early history of sexology. Here are six main takeaways from the Kinsey scale:

1. Alfred Kinsey created the scale in 1948 to study sexual behavior and open up about people’s sex lives and fantasies when it comes to sex.

2. May convince people it is seen as a scale more than a spectrum. 

3. Six categories of the Kinsey Scale:

4. The Kinsey Scale is, fundamentally, based on how many times in your life you feel or act in a sexual way towards one gender or another. But, how to define bisexuality on the Kinsey Scale? 

5. There are other more complex scales out there. The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid for example takes how you define yourself and how you've felt about your orientation over time — in the past, present, and future.

6. Sexuality is fluid; numbers on the scale can change over time.

Herpes and past experiences with people made me consider which gender I’m attracted to. It made me think that if men continue to hurt me, that must mean I am real into women, right? It may not necessarily be the case. Life is all about experiences. It is up to up to explore our bodies, who we are and when we are comfortable to take sexual experiences with someone who is the same or opposite sex. Herpes diagnosis can make us question our worth. No one is as worth it as you to be free in expressing yourself and the one you are into. 

Feel free to share or comment on this podcast episode, through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or email at [email protected]. Anchor listeners can now leave voice messages after listening to the podcast. Its super fun to do and share your thoughts. Life is all about confidence. 

Show Notes

The Kinsey Scale

https://kinseyinstitute.org/research/publications/kinsey-scale.php

What's The Kinsey Scale? 6 Things To Know About This 

Groundbreaking Sexuality Continuum

https://www.bustle.com/articles/102208-whats-the-kinsey-scale-6-things-to-know-about-this-groundbreaking-sexuality-continuum

*As always, you can review my episodes on YouTube, Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find link to the channel on the podcast Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page @herpaderppodcast Thanks!

Hey Herp A Derpers! 

The fear that comes after a positive herpes diagnosis is often centered around rejection, self-acceptance and love we have for others and ourselves. Then the question if someone will always love us again still arises and causes us to over think about herpes and our own means to have a love of our own. 

So, when someone who comes along and accepts you for having herpes, we get off guard. We lift ourselves up knowing there is more hope in the word and less worries about herpes. I certainly did in the last few dates I went on since moving. They weren’t herpes positive, but it allowed me to be more at ease. Why is that? Because it made me think for the moment, I was worthy of their love and acceptance. That if they accept my herpes diagnosis, one of them can be the one for me. The stigma can lead us to believe that love is a fairytale and that only princes and princesses deserve the purest and un affected people; the worthy. We romanticize the fact that once we are accepted, we can be ourselves again. Relationships should stand more than just between they accept you for having herpes. Why? Because you deserve to stand more than for your herpes status too. Know that self-respect and other respecting you go hand in hand. 

The stigma takes us to this state of mind that falls into the lines of depression and desperation of wanting to be more than herpes. That it’s a wall we cannot get around because no one will love us if we don’t like herpes. It teaches us that we are unworthy of physical or emotional affection.

Herpes may be bound within your body, but it shouldn’t be what binds your relationship. 

Feel free to share or comment on this podcast episode, through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or email at [email protected]. Anchor listeners can now leave voice messages after listening to the podcast. Its super fun to do and share your thoughts. Life is all about confidence. 

*As always, you can review my episodes on YouTube, Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find link to the channel on the podcast Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page @herpaderppodcast Thanks!

Hey Herp A Derpers! 

Let’s talk about… sexual health and the means to be sexually healthy. Being sexually healthy can mean many things. It’s the means of wanting to love your body, have positive relationships, pleasurable sex life and harmony in your life.

I recently stumbled upon a website that gives five great and strong action items of advice and having “the talk” starters. 

1. “Value who you are and decide what’s right for you”

2. “Get smart about your body and protect it”

3. “Treat your partners well and expect them to treat you well”

4. “Build positive relationships”

5. “Make sexual health part of your health care routine”

These amazing tips can be a guide into having new, old, existing partners or relationships. It’s never dull to be into sexual health. In fact, I find it really attractive and sure your sexual companion will too.

Feel free to share or comment on this podcast episode, through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or email at [email protected]. Anchor listeners can now leave voice messages after listening to the podcast. Its super fun to do and share your thoughts. Life is all about confidence. 

Show Notes

Five Action Steps to Good Sexual Health

https://www.fiveactionsteps.org/

*As always, you can review my episodes on YouTube, Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find link to the channel on the podcast Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page @herpaderppodcast Thanks!

Hey Herp A Derpers! 

Little on the late side for this episode. Better late than never!

The reason why I am late producing this episode is because I am currently in the process of moving from Vermont to Virginia and have had a whirl wind of emotions and sentiments about leaving the place, I call my forever home. Change is a good thing mind you it brings up a lot of things in the unknown. Moving to a new city and having herpes plus starting over in the dating scene seems terrifying to me. We know how common herpes is but the fear of rejection in a new place can bring the unnecessary baggage of anxiety. 

Moving to a new state means moving forward in life. We love to deeply hold onto our comfort zones and sometimes avoid the growing pains but then how can we go to the next level without growing gains? Remember that those who love you will stay and touch and be there for you. Moving on and moving forward is a big difference. Moving forward means its more positive than moving on. 

Moving forward and staying positive in your life will have you much more prepared for what is to come next. I can’t wait to find a herpes support group to join and connect. I look forward to a new beginning in my career and love life. Its time for this shift in my life and I can’t wait to continue to share with you what’s next in this herp a derpin’ journey. 

Feel free to share or comment on this podcast episode, through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or email at [email protected]. Anchor listeners can now leave voice messages after listening to the podcast. Its super fun to do and share your thoughts. Life is all about confidence. 

*As always, you can review my episodes on YouTube, Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find link to the channel on the podcast Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page @herpaderppodcast Thanks!

Hey Herp A Derpers! 

Happy Pride month! Now that’s officially the start of summer, I wanted to kick off this episode with information about LBGTQ+ community and STDs. Obviously, the herpes virus doesn't care what sort of sexual activity is creating the right conditions for infection, but different sexual practices create different risks. Being proactive about your sexual health is the best thing you can do for yourself and your partner. Knowledge is power!

The good news is that there is less stigma attached to all STIs in the gay and herpes community, that safer sex practices are widely accepted, and that there is a range of sexual health services specifically aimed at gay men and women. Gay and bisexual men are known to have higher risks of catching an STD, but lesbian and bisexual women aren’t free from risk. 

The only way to avoid STDs is by getting tested frequently and use protection every time.  No one is immune to STDs, start summer by getting tested today!

Feel free to share or comment on this podcast episode, through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or email at [email protected]. Anchor listeners can now leave voice messages after listening to the podcast. Its super fun to do and share your thoughts. Life is all about confidence. 

Show Notes

Being Gay and Having Herpes

https://www.herpes.org.nz/herpes-patient-info/being-gay-and-having-herpes 

*As always, you can review my episodes on YouTube, Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find link to the channel on the podcast Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page @herpaderppodcast Thanks!

Empower: make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.

In other words, empowerment means to be seen, be heard and be understood.

I had the privilege of interviewing a women’s empowerment coach who is confident, encouraging, a herpes activist and leader of her Accountability Coaching tribe. Clarice supports women who are frustrated on where their life is going and are wanting to make a positive change. She is passionate about her life coaching, has her own Heart Empowered Women podcast and explains how herpes was a big moment in her life by finding healing, acceptance and the power of support groups.

Feel free to share or comment on this podcast episode, through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or email at [email protected]. Anchor listeners can now leave voice messages after listening to the podcast. Its super fun to do and share your thoughts. Life is all about confidence. 

Find Clarice:

https://www.instagram.com/pieces_0f_reeses/

https://www.facebook.com/claricecocoaching/

http://www.empoweringwomen.coach/

http://wsradio.com/category/lifestyles/heart-empowered-women/