If you’ve recently been diagnosed with a severe food allergy, you’re going to find, somewhere down the road, a change in how you think about your allergy. Just being aware of what’s around you becomes being anxious of what is or could be around you. This is food-allergy related anxiety.

If you’re a teen or the parent of a teen or child with an allergy, you will most likely notice this anxiety after a severe reaction occurs unexpectedly. I had an anaphalactic reaction after we went to a Thanksgiving meal away from home a couple years ago. It was the first time we’d gone to an extended family’s home for a meal in, well, since I can remember. It didn’t end well.
That heightened my anxiety. Big time. And I wasn’t the only one. Both my mom and I were more paranoid about the precautions we took than ever before. In some people, especially teens, anxiety leads to isolation and even depression. So it should be addressed. But there are some things you need to know.
IT MAY BE JUSTIFIED
There are just some situations you need to be extremely careful in or avoid altogether, depending on your allergy.
ANXIETY LEADS TO ISOLATION
It’s normal for a child or teen who is anxious about a serious reaction to isolate themselves. You want to break this habit carefully. Use situations you know to be safe to help the process. Isolation can lead to more anxiety, frustration, and even more isolation, as a person can come to feel trapped in the safety net they’ve created for themselves.
IT COULD BE WORSE IN A PERSON ALREADY PRONE TO ANXIETY
Bear in mind, if you’re already prone to anxiety or irrational fears, you could experience food-allergy related anxiety more than some.
A PARENT’S INFLUENCE COUNTS
If you are the parent of a food-allergic child, you are a huge influence in their state of mind. Yes, you need to create a safety net in the home to protect your child or teen, but you’re also responsible for making sure they are equipped to go into the world with a severe allergy. And that includes their ability to manage food allergy anxiety.
I hope this has helped, but I would encourage you to check out this article from a food allergy counselor on how she works with people in this situation.
Know that I’m not a professional or an expert in mental health. I’m just a teen with a severe food allergy. 🙂 And I want to make sure other teens know that it’s okay to seek to thrive in an allergy-filled world.
Have you had to deal with food allergy anxiety? What has been your biggest struggle in managing it? Any advice to share? Talk to me in the comments.
[…] and hats. Whether you struggle with food allergies or something else, whether a chronic illness or anxiety or disability, there are times you’re excluded from those activities. Ever met – or […]
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Your blog title grabbed my attention…
I’m anaphylactic to wheat and citrus. Not just eating them but airbourne. It’s manageable but some people, including some family members think it’s “all in the head”. Well, people do low life things and lie to your face ” there’s no wheat and no citrus. I swear”. Three times in the past 5 years I have swelled up while eating and/or couldnt breathe. Example comments that followed: “I thought it was all bull” or “It’s a coincident” or “I was told not to worry about it. That it wouuld only give a gut ache the next day.”
With every reaction I become more intolerant. sigh…
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Wow, that’s a tough allergy to deal with. I know what you mean by people not understanding or literally just brushing it aside without a thought to how serious it could be. That’s the hardest part of living with food allergies.
Thank you for your comment. Praying for you! 🙂
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[…] the flip side of that has been the biggest obstacle for me in learning to thrive. Anxiety is a real issue when you’re anaphylactic or have any other serious reaction. And with anxiety […]
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[…] of allergy-related anxiety in a child could manifest as simply a withdrawn, self-imposed […]
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