Going out to someone’s house and explaining how to safely manage food allergies can be exhausting.  Going to a potluck, BBQ or family event where the food and environment are unknown adds a whole new layer of stress.  Sometimes I feel like it’s just easier to stay home.  But after 10 years of living with food allergies, I also know that loneliness is real and can be just as bad as the food allergies themselves.  Which is why I’ve started to intentionally work on going to more social events.  In doing this, I’ve come up with a few things that help mentally and practically when going to potlucks & BBQs.