Food Allergy Anxiety and School: Tips to Thrive On

The new school year is upon us and for families with food allergies this can be an especially stressful time as we work to once again educate teachers, administrators and school staff about how to keep our children safe.  For me personally, this is one of the worst times of the year as I worry about how things will be managed. I can feel my anxiety rise as we get closer to the start of school.  I try to actively manage my anxiety so that my daughter enters school excited and feeling safe, but this is no easy task!

We are still early in our school years, but I know that managing food allergy anxiety- at this time of year and throughout the year- will be critical for our family to Thrive On with food allergies. 

To get some answers on managing food allergy anxiety I interviewed Dr. Jeanne Herzog of Summit Psychology Clinic.  Dr. Herzog is one of only a few psychologists nationwide who specializes in food allergy anxiety management.  She has worked with numerous patients with food allergies, presented on food allergy anxiety at the national level and was a featured webinar presenter on this topic for FARE.   She will also be speaking at the FARE Teen Summit later this year.

Dr. Herzog shares some wonderful insight into how to recognize and manage food allergy related anxiety for both parents and children, as well we strategies to discuss with your school to assist in managing anxiety.  I hope that you will learn as much as I did from Dr. Herzog!

What are signs that your child might be experiencing food allergy related anxiety at school?

Kids and teens with food allergy related anxiety can express it in obvious ways or in more discreet ways.

Obvious ways:

• Talking often about their worries
•  Asking often about safe foods and safety precautions
• Appearing scared or saying they're scared to go to school
• Calling home often from school with worries about their food allergies
• Crying, isolating, refusing to eat at school 

Less obvious ways:

• Increased complaints of stomach aches, headaches, other illnesses
• Excuses to isolate or choosing not to participate in school functions
• Unexplained academic or homework issues
• Peer relationships seem to change
• Moodiness, including sadness, anger, easily frustrated
• Change in eating habits, controlling behaviors

What can you do before school starts to alleviate some food allergy anxiety for your child?

If your child is attending the same school as the year before, the level of anxiety is likely to be lower, especially if the child felt safe last year.  However, even a new classroom or teacher or new classmates can increase that anxiety.  Summer is a time when a child may find comfort in being able to rely on parents to keep them safe.  It is best to, again, prepare a child to be an advocate for their own safety (age related) during school hours, when parents are not there, by rehearsing the emergency care plan and the plans provided for them at school.  It may help to meet with the new teacher in the new classroom and go over the emergency care plan and accommodations prior to school starting. 

If your child is attending a new school (moving, transitioning to middle school or high school, etc.) the change can be anxiety-provoking for both child and parent.  Parent and child should prepare together by making arrangements with the school regarding safety, the emergency care plan and any accommodations required. If there is any way to find out if any other child entering the school also has food allergies, this can reduce anxiety as there is truth to "safety in numbers." 

Kids (and parents) feel less anxious when they know that people care.  When those around them know and care about the dangers and follow rules to make the school safe, children living with food allergies feel safe, calm and more confident in their ability to keep themselves safe.  This also connects them to the school in a positive way, which contributes to a child's academic achievement and self-esteem. 

Any preparation that widens the circle of people in your child's life who care will be helpful in reducing anxiety.  

Is there anything in particular you should communicate to school staff regarding food allergy anxiety so they can assist in managing it throughout the year?

Much is communicated about physical health and safety, which is primary, but often little is talked about regarding how the food allergy makes a child "feel" emotionally, especially in terms of keeping safe at school.  I think administrators and teachers (as well as parents of kids without food allergies) are starting to do a good job in some schools to show that they take food allergy safety seriously and that they care.  But, many are unaware of how anxiety plays a part in the life of a child with food allergies (and the parents). 

If your child tends to be anxious about food allergies, it's best to share this with appropriate school staff so that they can watch for signs and together you can come up with strategies that can help your child.  School staff should be taught that each child with food allergies utilizes a small amount of anxiety in order to be diligent and cautious.  And, it is common for some children to become even more anxious when they cannot control the environment with diligence - for instance when others around them are eating food containing their allergen.  Children also commonly feel anxiety about how living with a food allergy affects their social world.  Sometimes they worry about being "left out." 

As a parent, what strategies can be employed to help manage our own anxiety around sending our child to school with a food allergy?

Managing anxiety so that parents and children continue to be diligent and cautious, but still allow themselves to enjoy life and relax, is crucial.  A parent who does a good job of managing anxiety in themselves sets a good example for the child.  There are many ways to manage anxiety.

Having a plan to manage anxiety is critical.  This should include accepting the challenge bravely and proactively working to educate your child and those who care for your child.  However, it is also critical to maintain balance and find identity outside of your life with food allergies.  It is also important to adopt strategies to allow you to calm your mind and your body when anxiety occurs.  Some examples include:

• Think about what you CAN do, instead of what you CAN'T do.
• Since anxiety is about fear of loss of control, rehearse the things over which you DO have control.
• Rehearse the things that are consistent and predictable in your environment.
• Remind yourself that every day we are working on normalizing an environment for those with food allergies.
• Name the people who "understand" and care about your allergy.
• Calm your body using: gentle touch, relaxation exercises, belly breathing (sit or lie comfortably, relax your shoulders and chest, inhale to the bottom of your lungs, which causes your diaphragm to push your belly out, exhale while pulling your belly back in, breathe slowly for 1-3 minutes while focusing  on each breath sound.)
• Get your body moving with a walk, activities, play and sports.
• Play, play, play!
• Ask for a hug from someone you trust.

When should you seek professional help for food allergy anxiety?

When your anxiety or your child's anxiety seems to be affecting physical health or is seriously interfering with functioning or happiness please seek professional help.  One can also seek the help of a professional before anxiety increases so that a child or parent can get coaching on how to manage emotions and situations as they arise. 

When you and your child have a relationship with a therapist who understands the possible anxiety and stressors of living with food allergies, that therapist can become a great resource for managing the emotions related to the various transitions in a child's life - school, friends, dating, adulthood, etc. 

Click here to learn more about Dr. Herzog.

Click here to view the FARE webinar featuring Dr. Herzog for more great information on managing food allergy anxiety.

If you find this post helpful learn more about Tami and her company, Thrive On Consulting, which helps families and individuals managing food allergies, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter