Anger or Anxiety When you think of someone struggling with anxiety, what picture comes to mind? If you’re like most people, you might envision a worry wort or a panic-stricken individual. And you’d be right. Anxiety does manifest itself through worry and panic. But it disguises itself in other ways, too. Namely, behind the mask […]
As a food allergy parent, one of your biggest fears may be an anaphylactic reaction. Rightly so, these multi-system, life-threatening reactions to an allergen create a chain reaction in the body. The immune system releases a flood of chemicals that can compromise the functioning of bodily organs. As a food allergy parent myself, this sounds […]
In our previous blog, we talked about helping teens with food allergies and anxiety. In this fourth, and final blog in the series, we will be discussing how stress goes hand in hand with being a food allergy parent. You worry about food, checking ingredient lists, accidental exposures, healthy eating, and cross contamination. You worry […]
Last time, we talked about young children with food allergy related anxiety. In this third article in our series, we look at teens with food allergies who start to experience heightened anxiety. Adolescence is full of changes and adjustments that create additional stress for teens. Peer dynamics shift, thinking becomes more complicated, and teens crave […]
In the first part of our series, we discussed what anxiety related to food allergies may look like. This time, we look at the unique ways elementary school children show anxiety and how to help. Signs of anxiety in young children Repeated reports of headaches, stomachaches and other physical pains Clinginess including unwillingness to separate […]
As you may remember from Part 1: Is your anxiety making your kid anxious?, kids can easily pick up on the anxiety that we are experiencing. It is your job as parent to understand what is triggering your fears, own them, and respond appropriately. You can manage your anxiety so your children are less […]
You may be wondering if your anxiety and worry is making your kids worried. Perhaps, your spouse has told you that your child is so worked up because you’re so worked up. You’re making him crazy Secretly, you might wonder if you are. You might also think that your spouse minimizes the […]
Teens get into bad situations. They are at an age where their brains are wired to try out new things without being overly concerned about the consequences. This is why they are able to accomplish so many things that would send adults into state of overwhelm. Imagine changing schools, starting more than one new job, […]
mom… Mom.. MOMMMMMM!! I need a bandaid. I need one more kiss. I’m not tired. DON’T GO!!! This is how it would go with 9 year old Hardy*, ever since school ended. His parents were initially compassionate. Then annoyed. Eventually, they were sleep deprived and had lost much of their patience. So goes the story […]
Living with food allergies is like entering an alternate reality. You continue to live right next to everyone else, yet your whole experience has changed. Most of those around you cannot completely understand the fears that occupy you daily. Fears that one wrong morsel could create a life-threatening reaction. It doesn’t end there. Navigating this alternative […]