#anxiety

#anxiety

Six months ago, I found myself sitting in a coffee shop, supposedly working on an article, but instead I was switching between seven different apps, responding to notifications, and feeling my chest tighten with each ping. My heart was racing, my breathing was shallow, and I realized I couldn't remember the last time I'd gone more than five minutes without checking my phone. That's when it hit me: the device that was supposed to make my life easier had become my biggest source of stress.

Merriam-Webster named "slop" its 2025 word of the year, defining it as "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence." In its announcement, Merriam-Webster noted that, like " slime, sludge, and muck, slop has the wet sound of something you don't want to touch." Similarly, The New York Times observed that slop, in graphic terms, "conjures images of heaps of unappetizing food being shoveled into troughs."

Anxiety ... we can't live with it, but we also can't live without it since there's no delete button for emotions. For families managing food allergies, anxiety can feel especially intense because it's tied to real risks. Yet, research shows that while food allergy anxiety is common, it's how we respond to it-not its presence-that most affects family functioning and quality of life.

For starters, ask them. If that still doesn't help, give them a gift that lets them know more about who you are. Both strategies, Aknin has found, will likely increase your connection with the other person. Most importantly, when you give from the heart, you will likely reduce the loneliness of others, which, again, will have the boomerang effect of reducing yours.

I made the mistake of jokingly telling her to 'leave it with me' and since then she has brought it up repeatedly I normally pride myself on gift-giving in my relationship. In all of the Christmases and birthdays my girlfriend and I have spent together, she has always said that the presents I give her are ones she loves the most.

The "if that happens, then this happens" flow of that story reminds me of how allergy parents' minds often zig and zag their way through the anxiety and stress of making decisions about attending holiday gatherings. "If we go to Grandma's house for the holiday dinner, then we'll have to be around our allergens, which feels unsafe." "If we're around our allergens, then we'll have to be on guard the whole time, which will feel very stressful." "If it feels very stressful, then why are we even going? Maybe we should just stay home."

When panic and anxiety strike, the body becomes confused, interpreting, overinterpreting, and misinterpreting signals from the brain and reacting with a slew of uncomfortable and sometimes frightening physical symptoms. These can include disordered breathing, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, and chest pain or heart palpitations, to name a few. The body's nervous system becomes overreactive, sending panic and emergency signals to all of the body's other systems.

In many cases, what holds young adults back is not a lack of ability or talent. Rather, they overthink in negative ways, with their minds their worst enemies. Often, they battle three distorted, self-limiting beliefs that damage their self-worth and make progress feel scary. These beliefs thrive in silence, fueling anxiety, avoidance, and vast levels of insecurity. Here is what those lies sound like as self-sabotaging inner narratives.

These statements sound reasonable; even wise. But this seemingly practical mindset reveals a belief that actually amplifies anxiety while keeping our vision and impact small. That belief? That the big picture just "is what it is"-and that our best option is just to learn to navigate it better. Obviously, understanding our limitations is wise. Taking action where we can is imperative. And we must all navigate the world as it currently is.

As my daughter has gotten older, we've started picking up on small signs that she may also be showing early signs of ADHD. Of course, as she's a young child, we know that it's likely too early to officially diagnose her (plenty of her "signs," such as difficulty following instructions and impulsivity, can simply be attributed to her age). But with a genetic predisposition, it did make us start wondering...