Food. Did you ever think it could be so scary?

Even the simplest moments can feel complicated and tense when your child has a food allergy.

Sadly, food allergies are not uncommon, but it's all too easy to feel alone, even with so many families navigating around them.

From not being able to let your kiddo eat cake at a neighbor's birthday to leaving a restaurant when they dismiss your allergy questions and keeping track of which kids are racing around the park with a PB&J — allergy life is naturally stressful.

It's just so hard to relax when you know it's likely your diligence keeping your child safe.

Many of your allergy mama muscles come from experience. As time goes by, you start to understand what each symptom means for your little allergy warrior. But even experienced allergy moms experience stress and panic when facing signs of an allergic reaction.

At Allergy Scout, we believe allergy safety goes best with anxiety-reducing techniques because your health and quality of life matter too!

There’s no safer allergy kiddo than one who’s caregiver is calm, cool and collected in an emergency.

You can balance allergy anxiety!

At this point, we think we can all agree that every adult has experienced anxiety. You know the signs: heart racing, changing body temperature changing, tensing up…

Although it has a bad reputation, did you know that anxiety is a completely normal emotion? It’s defining characteristic is that it’s focused on a future, diffuse threat (like say, the possibility of your child accidentally eating a food they’re allergic to…).

However, even normal emotions need to stay balanced. Just like it’s not healthy to be sad all the time, it’s also not healthy to let anxiety run your life.

One of the most powerful things you can do for yourself and your little one is to feel confident in your own ability to help them be safe.

This type of strength can be just as important as the diligence of scouring food labels for peanuts or grilling birthday party hosts about cake ingredients.

👩🏻‍🏫 Education is key. If you know the symptoms of an allergic reaction and what to do in an emergency, you’ll be able to act quickly to get your baby the help they need. Similarly, knowing the preventive steps to take to avoid allergic reactions will help you navigate every day situations with grace.

Believing you can handle anything that comes up can help you stay calm when symptoms pop up. That confidence can help you stay calm and focus on solutions instead of panicking about the problem. (Though it's also okay to panic. There's no wrong way to feel about your little's allergy.)

Thankfully, there are so many things you can do when anxiety strikes! For example, you can talk it out, take deeper breaths, listen to soothing music, drink water, go for a walk, stretch your body, rest, meditate, eat a snack, and so much more!

5 Ways to Reduce Allergy Anxiety in Under 5 Minutes

#1 | Review Your Emergency Plan

Worrying rarely changes an outcome for the better, but having a plan can!

Even better than having a plan? Knowing the plan by heart! 💖

Knowing your Emergency Plan for allergic reactions before they happen can mean the difference between taking decisive action and wasting precious time.

So if you haven't done it lately, this is your friendly reminder to review your family's Emergency Plan.

Being prepared enables you to act quickly and confidently. Plus, it helps lower anxiety before, during, and after an emergency.

🎉 Suggestion: celebrate your family's preparedness. After all, food allergies are hard enough, and not everything about allergy navigation is fun.

So when do you come together and succeed in being ready for anything allergy: celebrate! Dance party? Family walk? Stargazing? A quick game of catch? Go for it.

You're doing great!

#2 | Allergy Mama Mantras For Strength and Confidence

Mantras are words and phrases said over and over again to help you find a meditative state. Mantras create a psychological safe space that you can return to anytime you feel anxiety or stress.

So here are our top five favorite allergy mama mantras. We like to practice saying them aloud a little every day, so when symptoms happen, our brains are primed to stay calm:

🩷 "Everything is figureoutable." – Marie Forleo

🧡 "Asking for help is a sign of self-respect and self-awareness."

💛 "I make good decisions."

💚 "I'm capable of handling any situation."

🩵 "My child/children is/are safe."

Try out one or all of these mantras. You can use these in any way that works for you! For example, you could challenge yourself to practice for 30-days in a row, have them pop up as reminders on your phone, or go all-in on that new tattoo you've been dreaming of. 

🥂Cheers to you, Mama. You've got this!

#3 | Belly Breathing (aka Diaphragmatic Breathing)

Perhaps the most simple and effective thing you can do to reduce anxiety is taking deep breaths in and out of your abdomen. If you’ve ever felt anxious, you may have noticed that your breathing becomes shallow and rapid.

Counterbalance that by taking back control and intentionally taking long, slow, deep breaths and staying focused on your breath. This helps you reduce the mental clutter and noise of anxiety and return to calm in the present moment.

Here’s exactly how to do belly breathing:

🧘🏽‍♀️ Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4. Focus on feeling your breath fill your belly as it expands.

🧘🏿‍♀️ Hold for a count of 4. Then, slowly release your breath through your mouth for a count of 8, feeling your belly deflate on the exhale.

🧘🏻‍♀️ Repeat 4-5 times until you start to feel calm.

 You're doing amazing!

#4 | Get Your Blood Pumping

Maybe meditation, yoga and mantras aren’t your thing.

🥊 Maybe your thing is strapping on some boxing gloves and punching the lights out of a bag

💃🏻 Or putting on your favorite song and dancing like no ones watching

🚶🏼‍♀️‍➡️Or taking a brisk walk around the block.

No matter what you choose, a short burst of exercise is great for stress reduction. Even better, try incorporating physical activity into your daily or weekly routine.

You probably already know that regular exercise has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety. So this is your sign to take that HIIT class you’ve been dying to check out or dust off your old favorite running shoes.

You’re a badass! 🕶️

#5 | Cuddle With Someone You Love (We Saved the Best For Last!)

Did you know that cuddling with someone you care about releases a hormone called oxytocin that calms you and helps you deal better with stress?

Hugs slow down the your heart rate and decrease cortisol, the stress hormone, in your body. This makes you feel more relaxed, calm and safe.

As a parent, you know the power of a hug when your baby is seemingly inconsolable. All of the sudden, tucked safely into your arms their breathing slows down, the tears stop flowing, and they’re able to find their way back to calm.

Well, it will work for you too!

🤗 When you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, find someone who you love and trust and pull them into a warm hug. We’re not talking about one of those butts out, barely touching hugs.

🧸 We mean a warm, comforting, bear hug.

⌚️ And don’t be afraid to linger. Your body needs time to register the hug and rerelease the feel good chemicals, so don’t rush through the hug.

Overall, remember that your have the power to calm your mind, body, and emotions. You. Can. Do. This!

Although allergy anxiety is practically inevitable, it can be balanced with education and practice.

Imagine a stressful moment happening, but you're comfortable and totally prepared instead of getting anxious. Though only you can know what works for you when it comes to anxiety, in this case, an ounce of prevention really may be worth a pound of cure.

You're doing great!