It’s Not You, It’s Allergy Season

Welcome to the time of year where everything is uncomfortable.

Your eyes won’t stop watering.
Your throat is scratchy.
Your nose is stuffy and somehow running at the same time.

You wake up tired.
You stay tired.
You briefly consider whether you’re catching a cold.

You’re not.
It’s allergy season.

Typical thought #1 - “Am I getting sick?”

Probably not.

Much like in the fall when we get that first cold and say, “it’s just allergies,” we do the opposite in the spring and assume it’s a cold.

You’ve asked yourself this every morning for the past week. And guess what?

It’s pollen.
Everywhere.
Relentless, tiny wisps of tree dander wafting directly into your eyes.

Typical thought #2 - “If I’m not sick, why do I feel off all day?”

Because you are.

You might not be sick, but you’re also not fully functional. Just slightly worse at everything, like:

• thinking

• focusing

• being patient

• existing

You didn’t change anything. You just went outside.

What Actually Helps (Or At Least Makes It Bearable)

None of this is exciting. But as a constant allergy sufferer, I can confirm that all of it works.

Shower when you get home

Yes, seriously. Pollen is on you.

In your hair.
On your skin.
On your clothes.

If you don’t rinse it off, it follows you:

• onto your couch

• into your bed

• directly to your face

Rinse your eyes, but don’t overdo it

It feels like the move. And at first, it totally is. Your eyes feel almost normal. But like any good thing, it can turn on you quickly.

Instead:

• Use preservative-free artificial tear drops, they help clear out pollen and give your eyes moisture.

• Skip the “get the red out” drops, they usually backfire and make irritation worse.

• Same story if you use an antihistamine eye drop, use it sparingly. Overdo it and your eyes will remind you for days. Trust me, I know from experience.

Use a nasal spray

Not glamorous. Very effective.

• One of those saline sprays in a can is my favorite and truly helps me breathe like the semi-normal person I am.

• You can also use a medicated spray if your nose is clogged from inflammation, I also use this of course.

• And those nighttime nose strips? If you can tolerate them long enough to fall asleep, they do help you breathe. I cannot tolerate being uncomfortable, so I don’t use them.

Antihistamines: Choose Your Fighter

• Benadryl: This is the sh*t. It works, but you will be asleep shortly after (which, honestly is why I take it).

• Day Time Options: Claritin. Allegra. Zyrtec. Generic versions of those. All solid choices.  

• Fun Fact: Pepcid is an antihistamine. It blocks histamines in your stomach which are different than the ones that make your eyes watery and your nose run.

So, choose your fighter. *Some come with side effects.

Consider… extra protection

At some point, you might think: “What if I just wore full eye protection outside?”

Like a welder.

Honestly? I’m getting close.

The Reality

For the next few months, you are someone who:

• checks pollen counts

• carries tissues everywhere

• has strong opinions about eye drops

• avoids the outdoors like it’s a personal threat

And then one day (if you’re lucky) it just… stops. You wake up, your eyes are normal, your head is clear, and you feel like a functioning human again.

And you realize you’ve been operating at 70% for weeks. Go you.

Until then…

It’s not you. It’s the air. And unfortunately, you need that.