Having allergies is never any fun, whether you're stuffed up from pollen in the air, sneezing from the house cat you love dearly, or belly-aching because of that food that you really shouldn't have eaten. To make matters worse, suffering with allergies can become more infuriating when the people around you don't seem to understand what you're going through. Really wish that your acquaintances could understand the struggle? Here's a list of nine things people with allergies want others to know to help bridge the gap.

1. When we tell you we’re allergic to something, it doesn’t mean we can always just take a Benadryl and deal with it.

Seriously, when we say we’re allergic to cats, or cottonwoods, or candles, what we really mean is, “I’d like to try to avoid those things like the plague, not pop a pill and breathe them in.”

2. Wearing copious amounts of cologne/perfume out in enclosed public spaces isn’t a very nice thing to do.

Yes, I could smell you even though you were sitting ten rows ahead of me in the movie theater. And then my nose clogged up and now I’m a mouth-breather. Thanks. On behalf of people with allergies everywhere, please, dab—not douse—on your fragrance.

3. We know that our eyes and nose are red and that we look sickly—we don’t need you to remind us.

Just please don’t. We appreciate your concern, but we already feel crappy and we don’t need anything else to push us over the edge.

4. Yes, we might reuse our tissues a couple times. It’s called recycling.

5. Please don’t take it personally that we don’t want to come over to your house if you have a pet.

We’d really would just rather not have to deplete your likely inadequate tissue supply.

6. On that note, you can literally never have enough tissues.

You think one little Kleenex package is enough? Ha! A whole box isn't enough. You need one box in each room of your house, one in your car, and half a box in your bag with you at all times.

7. Please don’t ever say, “Smell this!” and then stick something under our noses.

Even if it is the best thing you’ve smelled, it might not be as delightful for us.

8. If an outdoor festival/concert is non-smoking, don’t freaking smoke.

You might enjoy giving yourself emphysema, and go ahead, just do it on your own time in your own space, please. Some of us already have a hard time breathing and would like for it to not be any more difficult than it already is.

9. If someone tells you that they are allergic to something (animals, foods, lotions, etc,) or asks for special accommodations (no dairy/gluten, for you to stop smoking in front of them, etc): listen.

We’re not telling you these things because we want to have a laugh at inconveniencing you, we’re telling these things because we would rather not have a slight, or severe, allergic reaction. Trust us, you don’t want that either.