Spring is such a beautiful time of year! A new generation of wildlife emerges to find its place in the circle of life. The world around us grows greener and more lush by the day. Flowers burst forth from the ground and bushes and trees. If you’re anything like me, you want to get out in it to move and enjoy and behold the beauty – maybe even taken pictures to try to capture the wonder and loveliness. So, with all this inspiring life springing forth, why does my joy feel hindered by a sense of weariness and irritability? ALLERGIES! Folks like me do well to be mindful of when pollen counts are surging, and take some reasonable steps to prevent our mood, productivity, and relationships from suffering too much. Maybe it seems odd that a marriage and family therapist is writing a post about managing seasonal allergies. But I can tell you as a therapist who is a lifelong seasonal allergy sufferer – this makes a HUGE impact on every facet of your daily life when the pollen count is high! So, here you go…five simple measures that can keep you living your best life this time of year:

1. Remember to take your allergy meds daily. I regularly rotate between the big three or four brands to keep my system from losing its responsiveness to the amazing non-drowsy antihistamines. (I’m keenly aware of how far we’ve come since my childhood days when Benadryl was the only option, and you had to choose which of the Seven Dwarves you were going to be during allergy season: Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy, or Sleepy!) I also use a nasal mist during peak pollen days.
   
2. Try a sinus rinse or “neti pot.” I’ll tell you right now – it’s an odd sensation! But it can be a tremendously effective way to reduce pollen-induced season allergy symptoms. Some may get enough help from this cleansing method that they don’t even need any meds to help.
   
3. Get plenty of rest! Do what you can to give your body some extra rest when allergies are peaking. Basically, your whole system is under attack as your body’s histamine level goes through the roof in an overreaction to the swirling pollen. You really do need more rest to account for that. Your brain, family, and friends will thank you for it.
   
4. Be patient and kind to yourself. This is always good advice, but particularly important during times when environmental invaders are attacking your overall system and draining you from within.
   
5. Be patient and kind to those around you. Do what you can to show a little more tolerance with others. They may be suffering from allergy struggles, too. And you might just be throwing a little more crankiness their way than you realize.