Living with life threatening allergies can be challenging and overwhelming. If you or a family member are at risk of, or have experienced, a serious reaction it is natural to feel anxious. It can take time and patience to work through this and help yourself to live alongside the conditions.
Here are 10 ways to improve allergy anxiety:
1. Limit your information intake
Have you ever spent hours googling, reading every article about allergies and immersing yourself in Facebook support groups? Of course you have! We all do it as we want to find the answers or reveal the magic nugget of information that will fix things or keep our family safe.
However, while we need knowledge to empower us, too much – especially the wrong kind – can just make us feel more anxious. Facebook groups can be particularly bad for this as when you hear about someone else's allergic reaction it makes it feel ever present and raises your own threat levels.
2. Increase your knowledge
It is important to understand allergies and empower yourself with knowledge, so you feel more confident. Just be targeted about getting this from trusted sources. Allergy UK, Anaphylaxis Campaign and Natasha's Allergy Research Foundation are good places to start. There are also some great books available for adults and children, or The Allergy Team runs some helpful courses.
Make sure you know how to use an adrenaline injector, if prescribed and practice doing so regularly so you feel confident in an emergency.
3. Focus on What You Can Control
We would love to be able to control everything, prevent dangers and predict what is going to happen. However, this
just isn't possible in any aspect of our lives. We can look more closely at the things we can control though and build
trust in ourselves and those around us.
You can improve your knowledge and have a good care plan in place. You can educate yourself and others about how to spot and respond to an allergic reaction. You can get a good medical bracelet, chef card and medication bag. The key is in understanding when you've done enough and being able to sit with the uncertainty that we can't control everything.
4. Learn Grounding Techniques
Sometimes, no matter what we do, there will still be moments that overwhelm us or when the anxiety rises up. This is normal and natural, but it's important to know how to respond. Firstly, don't try to ignore it or escape it – recognise the feelings and know your brain is just trying to keep you safe.
Practice grounding techniques, which help bring us out of our heads and back to our bodies, when you are feeling calm that you can reach for when you need them. This can be breathing exercises, smiling to relax your nervous system, or using the 5,4,3,2,1 technique. The Smile App features several of these different techniques for your to explore.
5. Show Self Compassion
Living with allergies can be difficult and exhausting. You may often feel on high alert or on edge and worry that you are never doing enough to stay safe.
Experiencing a severe allergic reaction is a traumatic experience that can leave you feeling scared, overwhelmed and fuel your anxieties further. Show yourself some self compassion and think about how you would talk to a friend going through the same thing.
6. Build Your Tribe
Having other people who 'get it' is a really important part of managing a health condition.
You may find these through social media, in person support groups or online forums. It is not about the quantity of people you speak to (see the earlier point about limiting information intake) but about the quality of support. We all need a tribe to support us through life and these are the people you will reach out to when times get tough, knowing that they
understand.
7. Break the Cycle of Avoidance
When you are feeling anxious, it is natural to want to avoid situations that make you worried. It feels safer and more secure. However, regularly doing this can fuel your anxieties further as it tricks your brain into thinking the reason nothing bad happened was because you avoided it. This, in turn, this can make you less able to tackle challenging
situations and more likely to carry on avoiding them. Over time, this can shrink your social interactions and limit your life.
Allergies are always going to be part of your decision making, but avoidance allows them to start controlling you.
8. Work Through the 'What If's'
But what if the next reaction is worse?
What if I need to use the adrenaline injector?
What if it doesn't work?
It's very easy to get caught up in a cycle of 'what ifs' that can leave us feeling scared, powerless and stuck. We often discount the good outcomes and only focus on catastrophising any future event, which then feels bigger and more likely. Try to look at what you can control, everything you have in place to manage allergies, and the positive or neutral possibilities. Also, re-engage with the 'what is' instead and try to look at the present - we can't predict the
future; all we do know about is the now.
9. Keep an Evidence Diary
When did things go right?
When they didn't, what did you do?
What have you learnt or changed?
Keeping a written evidence diary of all these things helps us have something tangible to look at and remember all the ways you have overcome challenges up until now. This can help dampen the anxiety and remind you of the knowledge, coping strategies and practical support you already have in place.
10. Look After Yourself
When your mind is in overdrive, on high alert, it can be very difficult to relax. Your body constantly has adrenaline and cortisol coursing round it trying to make sure you are ready for danger. This can lead to mental and physical health problems, so it is important to prioritise your self care.
Focus on your sleep first as this is a core foundation. Try to eat well and get some exercise. Then make space for 'you time' - schedule it in and slow down. Finally, seek some support. You do not have to live in a state of anxiety to stay safe and you deserve to live a full and fun life alongside food allergies.
Smile is a mental health app for people managing chronic physical health conditions. To access the resources mentioned above, download the app now from Google Play or Apple App store.