If you asked me 6 months ago about eating Mac & Cheese, the answer would be a hard NO! After months of exposures, I realized it isn’t so bad. I still wouldn’t choose to eat it at home, but being able to order it in a restaurant is a big deal! Usually I stick to my safe foods at restaurants but I have been enjoying looking at menus and finding things that I may be willing to eat. When I saw the @kraft_macandcheese on the menu, I decided to try it! I’m not comfortable trying other brands or the fancy Mac and cheese they serve at some restaurants but I like that this Mac and cheese isn’t too cheesy and wet. Even though I only did 3 bites of it, I was proud of myself for going out of my comfort zone and ordering it and giving it a chance. It’s so helpful being able to go to a restaurant and find something I am able to eat. Baby steps! #macandcheese #kraft #restaurant #curious #mac #fyp

Medicine is something that I have always had a hard time taking. I hear so many kids say how they love the taste of medicine and that it tastes just like bubble gum, but that was never the case for me. I get sick more often than most kids because I have a very weak immune system because I don’t eat enough. I usually just avoid taking medicine unless I absolutely have no other choice. I recently had a filling done and took liquid Tylenol. It was not easy but I did it and it really helped my pain. Last night I had a fever and a migraine. I was starting to feel really sick and migraines often trigger CVS for me. I was so scared that it would happen and I just wanted my headache to go away. Last night was the first time ever that I was the one who asked my mom for medicine, I was so proud of myself. She offered me the liquid Tylenol or the chewable Tylenol and this time I decided I would try the chewable one. The taste wasn’t the issue for me it was more the texture. It was very chalky and I hated how it stayed in my teeth. I was scared to take the liquid because I was already very nauseas so I thought the chewable one might be a bit easier. Thankfully it helped my headache and fever and I was able to fall asleep. I woke up this morning and had a fever and headache again. I decided to take medicine again and it’s been very helpful. Hopefully I start feeling better soon. Thanks to all of you for helping me brave, and being able to have the courage to do this. #medicine #tylenol #support #sick #flu #migraine #cvs #headache #pain #nausea #sensory #nausea #rest #trigger #kids #parents #medication #cold #health #support #courage #brave #anxiety #scared #icandoit #chewables #liquid #bubblegum #texture #flavor #practice

Cooking with @arfidawarenesss. One of Cassidy’s favorite meals is hamburger helper. I really enjoyed participating in the process, but I wasn’t ready to try it this time. It was very overwhelming because there was a lot going on, but hopefully one day soon I will be ready to try it. What’s your favorite thing to cook/bake? #cooking #baking #hamburger #hamburgerhelper #groundbeef #cook #bake #chef #culinary #cheese #friends #recipe #recipes #arfidawareness #supporting

Protein is a very hard food group for me, but I know how important it is especially for my energy. I went to Trader Joe’s the other day and I saw these chomp sticks. They had them in beef and turkey. Since I like some turkey, I decided I would try it. I’ve see my mom eat them before so I was curious to see what they taste like. It was pretty rough and dry, and kind of hard to chew. It had a lot of different flavors combined. It’s sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, and it’s a bit too overwhelming. If I had no choice and had nothing else to eat, I could eat it, but I wanted choose to eat it. Every food I try is a win, because it’s one more food I’ve never tried and one step closer to having less anxiety. #beef #turkey #beefstick #snack #protein #foodgroups #energy #fuel #flavors #choice #nothankyou #strong #health #nutrition #traderjoes #notmyfavorite #meal #mealtime #overwhelmed #kids #caregiver

Having sensory and oral averaions, going to the dentist is not easy. At my last appointment I was told that I had some pretty deep cavities in my permanent molars that had to be filled. What we eat and drink really affects the health of our teeth, and so does family history. I have been so anxious about getting this done, and my mom even had to cancel my appointment once because I was having such a bad panic attack. I was so scared because the thought of getting a filling seemed so scary. Thankfully I have an amazing dentist who I have been seeing since I was one. This is so helpful because I know him well and I trust him. This dental office has a lot of experience with sensory challenges, and they use a lot of distractions to make things a bit easier. I have never had nitrous or anesthesia so I was very worried. My mom explained the process to me which helped because I kind of knew what to expect. Dr. Joey comforted me the entire time and gave me a play by play of everything he was doing in a very kid friendly way. I got to watch a movie, snuggle with a plushie, and I had a private room. I couldn’t believe how smooth the whole experience went and that I was able to get it done. I was told to ice it and take medicine for the pain, but I decided not to. I was sore for a few hours, but was able to somehow manage it with lots of rest. This was such a relief for me and I felt like a champion once it was over. It was way easier than I expected it to be, and if I had to do it again, I would be able to do it in a heart beat. #dentist #dental #dentalwork #sensory #autism #sensoryproccessing #filling #cavaties #champion #easy #adhd #nitrous #anesthesia #safe #comfort #dentistry #pediatricdentistry #peds #kids #parents #sore #medicine #meds #fear #scary #worry #anxiety #teeth #tooth #molar

I’ve been going to the dentist since I was a baby and got to watch my brothers have their appointments. That was very helpful because when it was finally my turn, I knew what to expect. Since my brother has autism, we used to go every 3 months so that he could get more comfortable being in that environment and so that he could get used to the process. It really helped me a lot and also helped me. Because of all of my sensory issues, especially with my mouth, the dentist can be a very scary place. There are so many different tools, flavors and textures used and it is very overwhelming. Because I am so sensitive, a lot of the things they do really hurt. Knowing ahead of time that I have an appointment is very helpful for me because then I can prepare myself for it. Not that long ago I couldn’t even handle getting xrays done, so I have come a really long way. Thankfully my wiggly tooth is still in place and it didn’t get pushed out like I thought it would. Does anyone else have a hard time with dentist appointments or have tips on how to make them a little less scary? #dentist #teeth #teethcleaning #brushing #toothpaste #xrays #anxiety #autism #sensory #parenting #neurodivergent #tools #dental #tooth #sensitive #gum #loosetooth #wiggly #scary #arfidawareness #arfidsupport #parents #kids #sensoryissues #support

Ive been going outside of my comfort zone a lot more lately. Eating is already hard, especially when im not in my safe place. We’ve been trying to find fun places to do new exposures, and to help me feel more safe in social situations that involve food. One of the big challenges I have is that restaurants and servers are usually not familiar with ARFID, and I feel like they get very frustrated with me because I have to order very specific things. This was one of the most amazing experiences I had because of our server. He went above and beyond anything I could ever ask for. A positive experience like this really helps me feel less anxious in a restaurant setting. I really wish all servers would be so compassionate and understanding as Cameron was. There’s a lot of good servers out there and we see you and appreciate you more than you know. I really wish more people would learn about different food challenges so that people like me can feel more safe. Cameron, if you’re watching this, THANK YOU! You made a big difference in my life and really made an impact. #restaurants #server #waiters #waitress #food #hospitality #makingadifference #safe #forrestgump #bubbagump #experience #impact #dining #anxiety #arfidrecovery #arfidawareness