Surviving Hay Fever Season: My Reality as a Mum, Teacher, and Lifelong Snuffler
For as long as I can remember, hay fever has been an annual battle I didn’t sign up for. It’s not just the odd sneeze or a bit of sniffing. It’s the full package: itchy, streaming eyes, nose like Rudolph, and that constant, low-level exhaustion that only fellow hay fever sufferers will truly understand. Every year, I go in optimistic. Maybe it won’t be that bad this time. And every year, I’m wrong.
Childhood Struggles with Hay Fever
I’ve been dealing with extreme hay fever since I was a child, and school was particularly rough. Sitting exams in sweltering classrooms with sore eyes and a runny nose was bad enough. Trying to concentrate when you feel like your face is under attack? Torture. Over-the-counter meds would either do nothing or leave me so drowsy that I was fighting to stay awake. I remember always having a tissue up my sleeve or shoved in my skirt pocket. Charming, I know.
Hay Fever in Adult Life
Now, as an adult, not much has changed. Except now I’m a teacher and a parent, so there’s even less time to wallow. Hay fever doesn’t care that you’ve got thirty pupils watching you try to deliver a lesson with one watery eye and a red, peeling nose. I’ve genuinely had to pause mid-sentence to sneeze five times in a row. Glamorous, right?
Parenting Through Pollen Season
As a mum, I’ve had to become even more prepared. There’s always a tissue wad stashed in my bag (probably covered in crumbs), and I avoid opening car windows even on the hottest days because the breeze carries in more than just fresh air. It brings pollen, and with it, the doom. My son’s inherited the snuffles too, so it’s a double whammy for us. He gets the red nose, the sneezes, the sleepy eyes. It’s heartbreaking watching your little one struggle with something that feels so relentless.
We plan our days differently in the warmer months. Big outdoor adventures come with backup plans, antihistamines, and usually a mid-afternoon nap. Not necessarily for him. Sometimes it’s me who’s flagging after a day of pollen warfare. The fatigue from hay fever is real, and unless you’ve felt it, it’s hard to explain. It’s like having a constant cold that never quite goes away.
What I’ve Tried (and What Actually Helps)
Over the years I’ve tried everything. Barrier balms around the nostrils, sunglasses big enough to double as safety goggles, dabbing cold water on my face, even eating local honey every morning because someone once told me it builds resistance. Who knows if it actually helps, but it makes breakfast more interesting.
I rely on prescription medication now. It’s something I have to start before the hay fever season kicks in. It’s helped more than anything else, but it’s not foolproof. Some years are worse than others depending on the weather. I can go from feeling mildly sneezy to full-blown misery if someone starts mowing the grass on the school field or a nearby verge. Freshly cut grass is my personal nemesis.
Getting that prescription isn’t always easy either. You have to prove you’ve tried everything else and show consistent symptoms. In my case that’s laughably easy. I often turn up looking like I’ve cried all the way there.
The Cost of Comfort
One thing that’s changed in recent years is the cost. Hay fever meds aren’t cheap anymore. Pack sizes have shrunk, prices have gone up, and don’t even get me started on how fast I run out of tissues. I’m always checking for offers in supermarkets and trying to avoid anything that causes drowsiness. Sometimes I don’t have much choice. During peak season, you take what you can get.
And let’s not forget the impact on how you feel about yourself. I don’t bother with a full face of makeup anymore once the pollen count rises. I stick to waterproof mascara (or none at all) and lean into the giant sunglasses and lip balm vibe. There’s no point trying to look polished when your nose is flaking and your eyes are watering faster than you can blink.
Teaching with Hay Fever
Teaching during hay fever season is its own unique challenge. It’s hard to appear calm and capable when you’re mid-sneeze or battling an itch that no eye drop can fix. I feel for the kids in my classroom who are struggling too. We swap stories and tissues, and sometimes you just have to laugh through the sniffles.
Staying Positive, One Sneeze at a Time
Despite all of this, I try not to let hay fever ruin my summer. I’ve learned to plan ahead, stock up, and take it one sneeze at a time. Because while hay fever might win a few battles, it’s not taking the sunshine away from me completely.
