"The "if that happens, then this happens" flow of that story reminds me of how allergy parents' minds often zig and zag their way through the anxiety and stress of making decisions about attending holiday gatherings. "If we go to Grandma's house for the holiday dinner, then we'll have to be around our allergens, which feels unsafe." "If we're around our allergens, then we'll have to be on guard the whole time, which will feel very stressful." "If it feels very stressful, then why are we even going? Maybe we should just stay home.""
"When navigating life with food allergies, it often feels easier to avoid experiences that make you feel anxious and include any degree of risk, such as eating at someone else's house. After all, safety and predictability are what the mind wants in order to feel more secure and less anxious. That's why it feels like a relief when your mind settles on the thought, "Maybe we should just stay home.""
Anxiety about eating outside the home leads to overestimating risk, worst-case thinking, and believing safe navigation is impossible. The mind favors predictability and may push families to avoid occasions like holiday meals to reduce immediate stress. Choosing avoidance for anxiety relief can harm family quality of life and relationships when experiences outside the home are overgeneralized as unsafe. Deliberate risk assessment, attention to safety practices, and building skills and confidence around managing allergens enable families to make choices based on realistic risk rather than fear, supporting participation in valued social events.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]