Happy Mother's Day!

As both of us here at Oregon AAA Alliance are mothers, we would like to be the first to reach out and wish you a Happy Mother's Day!  

We also wanted to talk about a subject near to our heart...how we as Moms are impacted by managing our kiddos, and what we can do about it.  It is probably no big secret (or surprise) that mothers of children with food allergies experience higher rates of anxiety. While many studies have looked at this, most of these have not been compared to non-food allergic mothers.  A recent study, however, compared mothers of food allergic children, asthmatic children, and children without chronic illness on measures of anxiety.  Mothers of children with food allergies consistently scored higher than both mothers of asthmatic children and mothers of children with no chronic conditions.

Each and every one of us knows first hand how real that study is.  Raising a kiddo with food allergies is difficult.  Managing doctors appointments, medications, and school is not easy.  Add to that the stress that we face when we have to face a world that our kids must navigate (despite many of the people they work with not fully grasping the nature of their allergy). The stress takes it toll!

That being said, we have to find a way to take care of ourselves.  Think back to the last time you were on a plane.  Remember when they told you to put on your own oxygen first? Remember why? It is because if you don't take care of yourself, you are useless to the people around you (for more on burnout, check out this awesome resource).

So, how do you manage it? Here are our favorite tips:

-Go for a walk

-Try Yoga/Meditation

-Get a massage (Money tight? Check out your local massage school!)

-Adopt a regular exercise routine

-Watch a funny movie

Tell us how you escape from your stress!