At Allergic Living, we’ve reported often on the significant psychological impact of managing food allergies. It’s one of the most most challenging issues facing the food allergy community.
Some of the stories of allergy anxiety that I hear about are concerning, even heartbreaking. While allergen avoidance is a necessary strategy to stay safe, some families become so immersed in avoidance that it can harm quality of life.
I’ve seen instances where fear leads to over-avoidance. For instance, kids with food allergies becoming fearful of food beyond their own allergens. They’ll limit their diets, their social involvement, their lives.
This is a big and important topic. That’s why I was so pleased to sit down with licensed counselor Tamara Hubbard for this video. We discuss her informative new book “May Contain Anxiety: Managing the Overwhelm of Parenting Children with Food Allergies.”
I highly recommend this book if you or a loved one is struggling with food allergy anxiety.
Reframing Allergy Overwhelm
Tamara Hubbard and I discuss in the video:
• Reframing anxiety, so as Hubbard says, “it’s a tool to help us stay safe rather than a compass that leads us through life.”
• Coping strategies in which parents and patients learn to do things that are safe but do take them initially out of their comfort zone. Hubbard says she helps people do this “for the sake of enhancing quality of life.”
• How to recognize the state of overwhelm. Noticing when anxiety is playing such a big role that “it’s in the driver’s seat.”
• Parenting Traps, such as being the over-functioning parent or food over-avoidance.
• Turning the “what ifs” of food allergy worry into less scary and more actionable thoughts. For instance, Hubbard describes being proactive to ensure a field trip can be made safe for your child, as opposed to just declining.
• Honest talk (and lots of listening) with teens, to keep them from starting “to coast” on the food allergy rules.
I hope you enjoy our thought-provoking discussion. Let us know what you think on Allergic Living’s social media shares of this video.
Related Reading:
Tamara Hubbard’s “May Contain Anxiety” book
Allergic Living’s Food Allergy Anxiety Guide
Study Reveals High Rate of Food Allergy Anxiety
