Table 2.

Themes and subthemes

Theme	Subtheme
Self-management strategies and process	List of strategies for self-management
	Awareness, reaction and prevention
Barriers to self-management	Self-management can be hard work
	Strategy-specific challenges
	Wanting to wallow
	Fear of judgment
	Cultural and environmental challenges
	Digital complexities
	‘Outness’ affects self-management
Facilitators to self-management	Balance and routine
	Intrinsic benefits of self-management
	Importance of social motivation and support
	Asking for help and vulnerability
	Benefits of the COVID-19 lockdown in terms of self-management
	LGBTQ+ community helps with self-management