Tapping into Support!

I know that if you are reading this and you’re a parent of a child with food allergies and intolerances, there are times when you have felt totally isolated and living in a world were no one “gets it”!

The weight of the responsibility can weigh us down at times and it is in these dark moments, we must lift our heads and direct our eyes up! Because it is in this space that our hearts open and our minds expand and we can reach out for the support we need.

It has been said that, “in less than a generation, food allergies in children, some potentially fatal have reached epidemic levels” yet families are getting little if any support.

I find that the emotional impact of raising a child or children with allergies and food intolerances immeasurable, yet I seldom hear it being talked about. I think you will agree that we experience increased levels of stress on a consistent basis. This my friend can take its toll!

It is often only when an event happens that we find our resources drained and our patience extended beyond reason, and it is hard to contain the stress and anxiety surges up in side us.

So this blog posting is about breathing into the support we need, raising its profile and encouraging others, to express what it feels like. To encourage you to share the highs and lows and to celebrate the strength that you acquire through sharing your story with others.

I recently wrote a blog on my Curiosity Inspired Website, called, I have A Question For

You! I talk about our need to understand what we mean by support. Then checking in with others about what they mean when they appear to want support. This is a good place to start, because we talk about “support” in such broad terms.

In a parent/carer sense support, is often described as:-

·       Practical help

·       Information

·       Emotional support – a place of trust and safety

·       A sense of community

·       Ideas about different ways of coping

·       Companionship

·       Opportunities to help others

·       Feelings of being valued, accepted and understood

·       Opportunities to share experiences

·       Opportunities to enhance social networks and friendship

·       A Sense of belonging

I think that each and everyone of us can relate to many of these areas.

Are you clear about the type of support you need ? I would encourage you to take a few minutes to ask yourself, “what support would I find most valuable right now?”, just trust that the right answer will come from within.

What support would I find most valuable right now? Think about it literally, is it someone to just offload to, is it someone to cry with, is it to get physical, be as specific as you possible can.

Is this support within me? If so, what do I need to do to access it?

If not, where can I access this support

We often think that the support we need is beyond us, yet if we take the time to be still and reflect inwardly we can often locate the resources we need from within. These may look and feel like self care, love, patience, tenderness etc.

Often our natural instinct is to want to move away from the pain or anxiety we feel, yet sometimes we need to consider leaning into it and asking, “what is this challenge showing me?”, I think you will all agree there are times when you surprise yourself with the amount of resources you possess.

It is important to acknowledge these resources, because it is these resources that our children see in us, it is these resources that our children learn to model from us, from a very early age.

So I encourage you to be courageous in your attempts to look inward and question what support you can locate from within and then what resources you are require from outside.

You know the story about ensuring that you fit your lifejacket first before trying to save others, well this relates to our children and us. We need to make sure we are supported before we can affectively our loved ones.

If your still reading this, then I am guessing support to you is something you are looking for. If this is the case can I encourage you to link into our Pearshaped Allergy Living Facebook Community community Pearshaped Living, as it provides a great way of linking with other mums who are experiencing similar issues as you.

Please be courageous in sharing and exploring what you and your family are going through, because you are not alone. You never know you may not only benefit from reaching out, but you may also touch the heart of someone who is in a dark moment and throw some light on their issues!