While you're out having fun this summer, spare a thought for those of us with hay fever.
Oh great, the weather looks unreal out there, that can mean only one thing... hay fever sufferers like me are dying a slow, painful death.
We know it can be a bit of an Irish thing to wait for nice weather all year, and then complain once it rears its head, but this is a serious issue for loads of us, and it gets a lot worse once the sun comes out.
A recent survey conducted by the
HSE found that one fifth of the Irish population is hindered by the devil that is hay fever.
Here are just some of the worst things about it.
Making plans
You can start off your day with the best of intentions. The weather is gorgeous so you're going to go out on a run, or maybe even have a picnic with your friends.
But then you get that feeling in the back of your throat. A lump that feels as big as a mountain. You know that going anywhere near some freshly cut grass will destroy you. Better not to take the risk.
You know what else is great in this weather? Staying indoors.
Trying to look cool
Please show me someone who looks cool while they're sniffling and sounding like they've got the flu in the middle of June. You can't. That person doesn't exist.
You just look foolish. It's childish. This tweet sums it up far better than I ever could:
https://twitter.com/BradleyWalsh0/status/1120677489137868800
Thank God for Piriton...
Fashion
Perhaps a lesser thought of side-effect of the disease is the difference it makes to the clothes we wear.
Sunglasses indoors are rarely a good look, but they are a necessity to keep the evil out of our eyes.
Is it cool? No. Is it fair? Definitely not. But it's what we have to do. So please don't judge us. We didn't ask to be born this way.
Pets
Right. So we've established that you can't enjoy the outdoors or the sun. Seems fair.
Well, why not add cats and dogs to the list, just for good measure?
It has been proven that cats and dogs tend to carry large amounts of pollen, so this cursed illness basically means that we can't even pet a very good boy without putting our health at risk.
The worst crime of all.
Sleep
Sleep? A distant memory. Every time you head to bed, you basically have a Sophie's Choice-type decision to deal with.
Sleep with the window closed and risk melting in the heat, or sleep with the window open and let the pollen eat at you from the inside.
It's up to you how it gets you, but it will get you.
Emotional
You look like you're tearing up at all times. As a result, you can start to look like a bit of a sad sack.
That's just not fair. We are not crying. We are just weak. Weak because we are being slowly destroyed by the climate around us.
Okay, maybe we're crying a little bit.
Nobody gets it
Arguably the worst part of it all - nobody truly understands how you're feeling.
"Just a bit hay fever is it?" There's no such thing as
just a bit of hay fever.
Next time you see one of us looking like an eejit sneezing and sniffling away in the summer heat, give us a break. And maybe a tissue.
How many months until winter again?
