As we spring into Summer, I have found myself spending the entire month of March and this first week of April in deep reflection. My brother described mid-March generally as the two week period where everything is that light shade of green. The air is crisp and it’s right before the great pollening begins. The flowers are budding and the sun is still shining through dinner time.
You haven’t heard from me since February because I truly have spent every second using all 5 senses to experience this Spring season – I mean how about that eclipse yesterday?! I feel like this newfound appreciation is mainly because it is only recently that I have been able to find joy this time of year.
I have a laundry list of reasons that I used to hate the Spring season as a whole.
It’s only fitting that I write this the week before taxes are due. Just a few years ago, I used to spend February through most of April working an absurd amount of hours as a CPA in tax preparation. I pretended to like it, but in all truth I was miserable. All of my health problems would only come to a head later when I learned how detrimental the stress was to my health.
Aside from tax season, the Spring season has been anything but enjoyable for most of my life because – allergies! I have always wanted so badly to enjoy the springtime, but that enjoyment has been brought to a halt by the amount of pollen that blankets the ground. It always seemed unfair; the flowers and greenery that I so enjoy in every way became something I tried to avoid.
This even goes back to my early childhood. I remember being in pre-K and my school sending me home everyday after recess. Each time they thought I had pink eye, but really my allergies were so bad that my eyes were red and swollen. Not only was this inconvenient for my mother, but frustrating for me.
Around age 8, my family visited my brother at college in Chapel Hill, spending part of the day at the Arboretum. Vines covered the archways with fresh buds and every type of flower imaginable was in bloom. It was beautiful for everyone except me, who spent the entire time barely able to breathe, with a box of tissues in tow. I coughed and sneezed constantly. The truth was; I was used to this and thought it was normal.
I have endless stories like these over the years. What became something they told me I’d grow out of only got worse over time. The only solution I could find was to take daily allergy medicine. By the time I was 26 I ended up taking it year round. Sometimes it was so bad, I took Benadryl throughout the day just to be able to breathe. I had terrible brain fog and I still had allergy symptoms even with the medications. At one point it even translated to food. Apples and bananas made my mouth itchy. I continued to think this was normal.
The last notable allergic reaction I had was a few years ago when I met up with friends at an outdoor restaurant. Within 15 minutes of being there I realized my entire face was swelling and my throat was closing up. Ross picked me up and I couldn’t even see because my eyes were swelling shut. Thankfully I avoided an ER visit, but it took over a week for the swelling in my face and the hives on my body to fully go down. Maybe one day I’ll feel comfortable enough to show the picture of myself from that day on here. After this event, I did extensive research on allergy shots.
For so long, what should have been such a wonderful time of year, was miserable for me.
Nature’s new year celebration, a colorful Spring fashion show, the big unveiling – it became something I dreaded.
At its core, my nervous system was struggling to handle all of the pollen. My body was on high alert and needed a reset. And oddly enough I entered a profession that matched the level of stress and dread that I already had during the season.
Spring should be a time of renewal, cleaning out old things and feelings, a fresh start. I feel so blessed to have finally found that sense of renewal in the past few years. This year in particular, I’ve found myself experiencing a special type of joy in every flower and every bird chirping. I’m enjoying spending a lot of time outside, slowing down, gardening, time with the people I love, and finding a deeper meaning in almost everything. That’s not to say I haven’t had any symptoms, because I certainly have sneezed quite a few times this Spring. But this time around I reach for the nontoxic plant-based alternatives and support my body in a way where I no longer need to rely on toxic medications.
The feeling of joy I have this Spring has been so pure. At times it has felt like I’m experiencing the beauty of Spring for the first time. I am able to appreciate the way my life was only just a few years ago and how far I have come in my health, both physically and emotionally. I feel so blessed to be free from this misery I carried with me for so long.
If you’re a Kacey Musgraves fan, Deeper Well may be your new favorite song. It certainly is mine. The lyrics have rung so true to my experience the past few years. The song is a beautiful instrumentation of this journey I am on back to my true self.
My Saturn has returned
When I turned 27 everything started to change...
So I'm getting rid of the habits that I feel
Are real good at wasting my time
No regrets, baby, I just think that maybe
It's natural when things lose their shine
So other things can glow
I've gotten older, now I know
How to take care of myself
I've found a deeper well
I have had a several people reach out to me around allergy solutions during this season and I’m happy to share what works for me. This is not medical advice, but these are things I have implemented and continue to utilize daily. Don’t be caught spending more time inside than you do outside during this wonderful time of year!
Short Term Hacks
- Quercetin – found naturally in berries, this nutrient can naturally lower the immune response and decrease the sneezing.
- Local Raw Honey – a natural antihistamine made with the pollen from your area. This literally downloads to your cells and tells your body it’s safe and does not need to react to the pollen.
- Raw milk – not only is raw milk hydrating, but it is a natural probiotic. While supporting gut health, you are also supporting your immune system.
- Drink a [homemade] smoothie everyday – all you need is some frozen fruit, coconut water, and a blender bomb. Balancing your body’s immune response is just one of the many benefits. I believe in blender bombs so much that I actually invested in their crowdfunding efforts a couple years ago.
- Plant-Based Support – help control mold spores in the air and open your airways. Bind to the toxins in the air and clear up mucus in your body.
Long Term Support
- Proper hydration – Support your liver with lemon water with himalayan sea salt, coconut water, or herbal teas. Do not drink plain water, as cell salts and electrolytes are the true hydrators. Water itself is just the transportation these electrolytes need to be distributed in your body. Drinking plain water that is void of these nutrients will only hydrate you more! Be cautious of electrolyte packets you see in the store. These are often filed with sugar and synthetic vitamins.
- Ditch the processed food – anything that comes in a box likely has ingredients that are harmful to your body. Preservatives, extra sugar, and processed ingredients are just more work for our bodies to break down. With your system on overdrive, more toxins is the last thing you need.
- Castor oil – castor oil packs over the liver can help your body clear out toxins and the effects of the pollen. Be sure to start slow if you choose to go this route. On a good week, I leave the packs on overnight for 2-3 nights per week.
- See a holistic chiropractor – this is the best support that you can provide your nervous system with.
- Sweat! – Sweating through exercise or sauna helps enlarge the blood vessels and get your lymphatic system moving. This helps move the toxins and excess mucus out of your body.
- Purify your indoor air and water – Indoor air and water have become one of the biggest pollutants to our bodies. Check out the EWG website to see how toxic your tap water is. Find a filter that filters out those toxins.
- Grounding and sunshine – this seems counterintuitive if you are reacting to pollen. However, getting your bare feet on the ground and some sun on your face can lower levels of inflammation in your body.
- Ditch any toxic cleaning, household, skincare, etc products for non-toxic ones. Be sure to avoid greenwashing and find truly non-toxic products. Need to know where to start? Click here or send me a message.
