Shortness of breath? Irritated eyes? Itchy skin? Runny nose? Do you have a history of seasonal allergies? Might you have the year round perennial allergies? If yes to any of these questions, you may be one of the 17 million adults and 7 million children in American who battle allergies.
Sometimes less is more. For those of us in this group, identifying work-arounds is second nature. The beauty of the season might be better from indoors or in photos. Keeping the house tidy might be less about OCD than self-preservation. Keeping tissues, Epi pens or Benadryl at the ready are simply about being prepared.
As spring slowly blossoms, consider:
Refreshing Prescriptions: Make sure to have asthma or allergy medications ready for the season. If over the counter solutions or refills are not an option, schedule an appointment.
Stocking-up on Tissues: For home, work and travel sizes for purses, backpacks and totes.
Frequent Hydration: A minimum of 8 to 12 ounces of liquid per hour can provide the base line hydration to flush your system of irritants. Water is ideal, but tea, juice or coffee with low amounts or no sugar are also helpful. Neti-pots, nasal irrigation, may also serve as an ideal way to flush irritants, particularly at day's end.
Moderate Exercise: Keeping a healthy mind and body is important, even during times of irritation. Perhaps you reduce the intensity of your physical activity. Maybe you work inside on a treadmill, stationery bike or walk the mall. Swimming also serves as a great alternative to other forms of cardio for allergy sufferers.
Patience: No need to intensify your discomfort with negative energy. Try to relax and do what is needed to maneuver the attack. Hydrate. Breathe. Visualize calming alternatives.
Even if you are not an allergy sufferer, it's worth studying the breadth of allergy oriented stats by WebMD.