As the weather starts to heat up and the trees start to bloom, so do many people’s allergies. As we move past cold and flu season, we segway straight into allergy season. It is evident that seasonal allergies are negatively impacting everyone’s day-to-day lives. 

Sophomore Zac Jose’s allergies are a frustrating aspect of his daily life.

“I just try to live through it the best I can. The most infuriating thing about seasonal allergies is definitely the itchy eyes given that they are incredibly easy to worsen and also very hard to get rid of,” Jose said.

It seems like allergies have been a big issue this spring. Nurse Terbrock explains how a mild winter has transitioned into a more intolerable, pollen-filled spring.

“Each year allergies can be worse or better than the year before. Allergy seasons are generally worse when there are warmer temperatures earlier in the year. Because we had such a mild winter and early warm weather, we are seeing a bad allergy season so far this year,” Terbrock said.

Allergies have always been a nuisance, but the COVID-19 pandemic definitely changed the way we look at allergies.

“COVID was a very difficult time for many students, but good things did come out of it. We are better at washing our hands, covering our coughs, and being mindful of how close we stand next to each other in group settings. All this helps us reduce the spread of germs and we all can benefit from that. However, COVID also made us very self-aware of our illnesses and every time someone sneezed, we all thought it was Covid when in reality, it could have been allergies or something else,” Tebrock explained.

Very similarly to a contagious virus, allergies can keep people bedridden.

“Allergies can make students feel awful, tired, and sick. This can definitely get in the way of schoolwork. Most students think they are sick with a cold or virus and even stay home from school because of it,” Terbrock explains. 

Overall, it is obvious that allergy season is ravaging people throughout the school. However, there are still ways to alleviate the oftentimes annoying symptoms from allergies.

“To keep out allergies, try your best to modify your environment. Keep windows closed in your home during high pollen days. Keep your hands clean from any pollen you may have touched during the day. Avoid touching your face around your eyes, nose, and mouth area, the allergen may be on your hands,” Tebrock said. 

As the spring comes to slow and we see the temperature’s creep into the ’80s and ’90s, hopefully we are looking at the end of allergy season in due time.