Do you believe you're capable of managing your food allergies or allergic conditions well? How about managing an allergic reaction? How does your child feel about managing their allergies? These questions relate to your mindset, or whether you believe the qualities you possess make you capable of handling situations. People can have a fixed or growth mindset, terms coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, PhD.  Think of  these as the type of glasses you're wearing - the lenses with which you see things. When wearing fixed mindset glasses, you're more ..read more

It's so easy to find a resource website, such as this one, yet not really take the time to explore all it has to offer. After all, life is busy and many are trying to limit how much time is spent online anyhow.  Hopefully this post helps simplify that exploration process for you by highlighting a few key resources available here at The Food Allergy Counselor (The FAC) beyond the FAC Directory! And, make sure to read this whole post so you get to the exciting announcement! First, What Makes The FAC Unique? The FAC is an allergy behavioral health and psychosocial resource hub offeri ..read more

In a recent FAC post, we explored what stress is and how it differs from anxiety, with specific mindfulness-based approaches for managing food allergy-related stress.  But there's no one perfect way to manage stress! It's important for everyone to find strategies that work specifically for them - and this takes trial and error to determine. ​Therefore, in an effort to help you better understand your own stress and decide which stress management tools to put in your toolbox, this post offers a variety of videos with  different strategies for you to consider. Additionally, it includ ..read more

As we welcome 2023, let's set some mindful intentions for the year. Let's focus on finding practical ways to effectively manage the stress and anxiety we may feel related to living with food allergies and allergic diseases. And The Food Allergy Counselor is here to help you do just that with all of its resources! Image by 1388843 from Pixabay What Exactly is Stress? According to the American Psychological Association, “Stress is a normal reaction to everyday pressures, but can become unhealthy when it upsets your day-to-day functioning. Stress involves changes affecting nearly eve ..read more

Did you know that you can use the perspective of time to help you decide how deeply to engage with an unhelpful or uncomfortable thought, feeling or decision, and that time can help you look at things from a different point of view? Here's how to use the 5x5 rule to help you gain space between yourself and unhelpful or stressful thoughts and decisions.... Start by asking yourself:  How much will this matter to me in 5 hours? How much will this matter to me in 5 days?  How much will this matter to me in 5 weeks?  How much will this matter to me in 5 years? Asking yourself ..read more

Have you heard of this useful metaphor for overly-engaging with our unhelpful thoughts? ​Sometimes our mind gets fixated on certain thoughts, so much so that we can't think about anything else. Or maybe it's not a specific thought your mind is focused on, but rather, a belief or internal rule you've made for yourself about how things need to happen, or a rigid set of expectations.  In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we call this concept cognitive fusion. We can become fused with our thoughts, our emotions, a desired outcome - truly, we can become fused with alm ..read more

'Tis the season for holiday gatherings....and maybe increased stress, too?  The holiday season can feel like a stressful time for many managing food allergy and allergic conditions. The safe food preparation and planning. The logistics of ensuring your child doesn't eat foods that aren't safe.  ​ The potentially not-so-supportive and stressful conversations with family members who just don't get it? My hope is that all of you have incredibly supportive and understanding families, who are willing to make safe adjustments to recipes and navigate inclusion without skipping a beat! Bu ..read more

One of the most common reasons people reach out to allergy-informed therapy providers is for help managing food allergy anxiety. It's easy to understand why allergic individuals and families may feel anxious, but it's also useful to learn more about food allergy anxiety itself - the data and insights behind the emotion.  ​  What Have We Learned About ​Food Allergy Anxiety So Far? Therefore, this Food Allergy Counselor post offers an overview of key points from a 2020 research article entitled, "Anxiety and Food Allergy: A Review of the Last Two Decades". As ..read more

When an organization finds itself in growth mode, it's important to have a team who understands the vision, supports the mission, and is equally dedicated to the purpose. So, as The FAC started focusing on 2023 growth goals, it became time to expand the team. Therefore, I'm SO excited for you to meet The FAC Advisors! These individuals were selected because they are forward-thinking change-makers who are passionate about positively impacting the allergy community. Each bring a variety of talents and are already making a mark in this community, so it's an honor to have ..read more

[This is one of those articles that may stir up feelings of anxiety. But remember - anxiety isn't the bad guy (even though it makes us feel uncomfortable) - and it can actually push us towards meaningful change. So harness any anxious feelings you may feel as you read this, and focus on exploring why they're there and how the information presented may help you create a more workable approach to anxiety]. Scrolling through allergy social media accounts, you may have come across posts with the following kinds of messages:  You can't make any mistakes when managing food allergies There are ..read more