Peanut allergies: they’re nothing to snicker at.
For those of us that suffer from these allergies, it can feel like danger is lurking inside every restaurant, every muffin, every candy bar. I am no stranger to getting swept up in this fear. As a kid, I went through a period of extreme anxiety as I struggled to maintain control over these fears. This anxiety kept me from eating anything unfamiliar, eating at a restaurant, or even eating at friend’s house for almost two years. I was petrified by the idea of an accidental encounter with this legume that was walking me on a leash. The idea of a single food having the power to take me down was absolutely overwhelming. Peanuts were my kryptonite.
As if being feeling controlled by a peanut isn’t frustrating enough, the notions that are associated with having a severe allergy are often just as vexing. I have been told that I am fragile, powerless, missing out, and high maintenance. These assumptions often leave me feeling worse off, feeling like I have no handle on my own circumstances. In hearing these ideas, I assumed them to be true. What would I know? After all, I’ve never even had a peanut butter cup.
I don’t remember when I had this breakthrough, but at some point I came to the conclusion that peanuts being my kryptonite, my ultimate downfall, could be spun in a positive light.
If peanuts were my kryptonite, then I must be super.
Superman isn’t defined by weakness, but rather by bravery and perseverance. Often times, allergy sufferers are driven towards this fear of severe reaction, and can you blame them?
It can literally be a matter of life and death. It’s difficult to rise up in the face of great danger.
But as individuals managing allergies, shouldn’t we be associating the everyday stresses of managing an allergy with the power of being an overcomer? Of being an individual that dares to take a risk? Those of us with allergies are dare devils. We are empowered by hurdling the obstacle three times a day, and we don’t need a granola bar to fuel this endeavor. Peanuts might be our kryptonite, but we don’t have to let the fear of what weakness we could encounter control the victories of our everyday.