Images and Words Help Me When Allergies Keep Me Inside

Images and words really help me on my journey with allergies. They enable me to get outside when environmental allergies keep me inside. Let me show you how by sharing my recent experience at a local park.

Wanting to go outside with my family

My son squealed with delight when his dad agreed to go to the park with us. He had waited all week for a chance to play at the park with the big, yellow slide. And best of all, my son loved that we were going together as a family!

While I also longed to go to the park, environmental allergies dampened my excitement. Based on my symptoms, I suspected elevated pollen counts. I had developed sinus inflammation and pain after spending time in our backyard the previous evening. Environmental allergens tend to trigger these symptoms in me.

Checking the pollen counts

A quick check on several weather websites confirmed high tree pollen levels, especially cedar tree pollen. I took 2 Tylenol®, hoping that would bring some more relief from the lingering sinus headache. I also used Flonase nasal spray for the second time that day.

Offering to do the driving

In another attempt to curb my symptoms, I offered to drive my family to the park. Sitting anywhere else in the car besides the driver's seat makes me car sick. And I already felt a little dizzy from the sinus pressure.

As soon as I stepped through our front door to enter the car, the sunshine instantly uplifted me. Talking and singing in the car on the way to the park also made me feel better.

This made me think of how I have benefitted from long drives between the Houston and Austin areas of Texas over the years. While inside my car, I see beautiful skies, countless trees, many animals, and open land. I always look forward to and warmly remember these views.

Enjoying outdoors by reading

When we arrived at the park, I told my husband and son I would stay in the car and read for a while. I wanted to limit my exposure to tree pollen. I also wanted to take the opportunity to read a chapter in a novel written by one of my favorite authors. That is something I don't get to do as much as I would like to in this busy season of my life.

I read about the sunlight streaming through the windows in the first few lines of a page in "Treasure for the Heart" by Martha Rogers. Merely reading about the sun outside warmed me. The novel's words took me beyond my car's confines and into the setting described in the book.

Going outside through images

Seeing the light pouring through the windows made me just as happy as the words about the sunshine and horses. I also had a great view of the scene unfolding before me at the park. I enjoyed watching my son and husband playing together under the trees.

Since reading about the outdoors helps fulfill my desire for it, I thought I would write about being outside too. So, I jotted down the words of this article right there in my car. Maybe the outdoor images I create with my words will help someone else who is staying indoors from environmental allergens.

What helps you when you can't go outside because of allergens that trigger symptoms in your body?