1. Your entire body hates you and the springtime.
There’s nothing quite like good ole’ allergic rhinitis. We know it as hay fever. There’s something about my itchy eyes, runny nose and scratchy throat that makes me loathe every tree and flower that’s ever shot up out of the ground. It doesn’t help that I go to a college that has approximately 1,400 trees spread throughout our 27,000 acres of space. The sniffles are inescapable. We boast about having the largest contiguous campus in the world, while simultaneously being any allergy sufferer’s nightmare. I wake up each morning feeling weaker and weaker, and the fact that I can’t even control this oh-so-natural attack on my body is even more frustrating. I have a severe love-hate relationship with all of the fresh blooms surrounding me. However, I don’t mind snapping pics from afar.
2. You’re researching rain dance choreography to summon the storms of relief.
Never have I ever been so excited for rain in the spring. In the fall, I check the forecast for wardrobe decision making. However, in the spring, I’m checking to make sure that I am okay to leave my room that day. I find myself feigning for at least a 30% chance of precipitation. Any sliver of hope is enough for me. There is nothing better than the soft rumble of thunder on a spring afternoon. With this heavenly sound, I know that the tiny yellow culprits that had me sneezing non-stop during lecture this morning will be old news. Runny noses rejoice. Rainy days = free car washes. Speaking of which…
3. You don’t even want to think about touching your car.
It doesn’t matter if your car is purple, red, white, or black. There’s pollen on it, all over it. It’s just mocking you and your itchy eyes. There’s pollen in crevices of your car that you didn’t even know existed. Don’t touch anything, ever. If you’ve got a few hours to spare, you could just walk to your next destination. However, if you must drive and the hay fever hits you hard, it’s smart to change your A/C filters at least once or twice during the spring season. Don’t even bother rolling your windows down, honey. Keep your music to yourself because you can’t let the enemy in. Quarantine your car and let your air filters shield you from the inevitable.
4. You find yourself scrubbing your face and hair every night in the shower in attempt to rid yourself of unsolicited tree sperm.
God forbid you get in your bed without showering first. You’ll never get to sleep. Even though you may not be able to see it, there’s a thin layer of pollen on your face. There’s also pollen in each and every follicle and strand of your hair. Scrub, girl, scrub. If you get in bed and skip a shower, you’ll be sneezing in the middle of the night. The pollen will stick to your pillowcase and sheets, and you’ll find that you’ll need to wash your bedding more often than usual. If your naptime haven is contaminated, where else will you go?
5. You have a plethora of allergy medication, and if you skip a step, you’re screwed.
Eye drops? Check. Allergy pills? Check. Two for good measure. Nasal spray? Triple check. Three squirts. Each nostril. If you skip any component of this intricate regimen, it’s over. You’re done. I actually found that when I forget to take my allergy pill, I suffer from severe migraines. I will never forget again. Your medicine significantly reduces your symptoms, so your allergies are one less thing you have to worry about. You really cannot go wrong with Claritin, but I have grown fond of over the counter allergy pills from Kroger! As far as eye drops are concerned, Clear Eyes has you covered and your nose will thank Flonase or Nasacort for shielding you from the harassment of sweet Mother Nature herself.
We will stand together, united (indoors as often as possible) while we count down the days till summer. Do palm trees produce pollen..?
Here are some helpful links to get you through the season:
https://www.pollen.com (Click “Forecast” for the pollen count in your location!)
Allergy facts: http://acaai.org/news/facts-statistics/allergies
Tree pollen allergies: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/tree-pollen-allergy
There are 20 different species of trees on Berry’s campus simultaneously trying to kill us: http://www.berry.edu/arboretum/