Lessons I’ve Learned From Living With Allergies

When living with allergies, as with many chronic health conditions, there are certain things that I have to do and be mindful of to manage symptoms and keep my health in check.

While a lot of things about allergies and managing them can be a pain, there is a lot that I have learned from living with allergies. These lessons came from life with allergies, but they can apply to almost any situation.

Be ready for an allergy emergency

If there is one thing that having multiple allergies has taught me, it's to be prepared for anything when heading out the door.

Several times in my life, I have been in a situation without my allergy medicine, my Epi-pen, or other supplies that would've made a difference. Thankfully none of the situations I ended up in were life-threatening; keeping certain allergy relief supplies with me and having an action plan if I accidentally have an exposure could mitigate stress and discomfort.

It's better to be prepared for a situation you didn't expect to happen than to hope that it doesn't happen and be completely unprepared if it does.

Be confident and speak up for your safety

As someone with people-pleasing tendencies, I can't begin to stress how important it is to speak up. There have been so many times that I wanted to avoid asking if a particular food had an allergen not to bother the wait staff.

I've also been in situations I didn't have to be in (like someone's house full of dog and cat hair everywhere) because I didn't want to be rude or cause an inconvenience to someone.

Like with situations revolving around allergies, I've been in plenty of situations that would've been made easier if I had valued prioritizing my needs and how I felt and less worrying about how others would think or feel.

If you need more clarification about the ingredients in a food, ask someone. If a situation doesn't feel right, say something. You'll save yourself (and the people around you) a lot of trouble.

Prioritize your comfort and well-being

This concept goes hand in hand with speaking up for yourself. You prioritize your comfort and well-being by speaking up for yourself and advocating for your needs.

Sometimes, it will be better to say no to an outing, restaurant, or whatever the situation may be. It may feel like you are letting your friends or loved ones down, but if the risk of cross-contamination with food is too high or your seasonal allergies are bothering you, you can set boundaries.

While in certain situations, getting out of our comfort zone causes us to grow, there are many times when we suffer unnecessarily. Just do your best to be honest with yourself about what you feel in every situation.

Some allergy lessons are hard learned

While some of these lessons have been harder to integrate into my life than others, they have all been equally important to me and my development over the years.

Whether I'm using what I've learned to help me in a situation related to allergies or something else, this shows that there is a silver lining to most (if not all) experiences.

What have your allergies taught you over the years?