It’s that time of year again, flu season! If you haven’t already noticed from the numerous cough attacks in your lecture halls and endless sniffling, the flu season is upon us. Most of us have gotten our flu shots; therefore, you might not feel so scared. However, the best way to ensure that you don’t get sick is to continue to be vigilant even after getting the shot. I got a flu shot and still got the flu for the first time in my life, but I learned a lot from catching this awful virus.
- Your mom and dad are not here to baby you.
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You have to learn to toughen up in college. The flu hit me like a bus. One day I was fine going out with friends and living my best life. The next thing you know, I wake up in the middle of the night with a high-grade fever feeling like I’m on fire.
With my parents in a different time zone, there was no way they would be awake to tell me what was going on. Instead, I did some research, chugged some water, put a cold towel on my forehead and prayed that I would make it out alive to go to the doctor in the morning.
- Learn to take care of your body.
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College means that you’re in charge of your life now. Your parents aren’t going to be there to tell you to drink some orange juice in the morning or to eat your vegetables. It is up to you to keep yourself healthy and look after your own body. Taking vitamins every day can help to keep your immune system pumping strong.
Along with this, eating ramen for every meal and expecting your body to love you back is pretty unrealistic. You have to be aware of what goes into your body and what makes it feel strong and healthy. Foods with vitamin D, fruits and vegetables promote a robust immune system and give you more energy so that you will not be susceptible to getting sick.
- True friends are there for you.
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I don’t know if you have ever had the flu, but it makes your whole body ache. Every move you make feels like it’ll make your insides burst open. Consequently, you are going to need your friends to come and bring you food, liquids and some medicine. There is no way you’re leaving your bed for the first few days, so you need to count on the people who care about you.
- Resting time is a necessity.
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Whether resting to you is actually sleeping or lying in bed watching TV, everyone needs their resting time. One of the main reasons that I got the flu is because I never gave myself time to relax. I have two internships, a job, school, and I still try to keep up a social life. It’s hard to find time to hang out with myself and rest for a while, but it is essential to your health.
This all goes back to my point about taking care of your body. Your body needs time to recharge and build up its immunity. Think of your health like your phone. If you keep using it without charging it, the phone will die. It needs the energy to keep on working, and it’s the same with your body. You need rest, or else you will get sick.
- Knowing your body
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We need to understand what our body feels like normally. One of my problems when I got the flu was that I was not aware that I was sick. I felt a little weird, but I did not realize that I was actually getting sicker. If I had known what my body usually felt like, I would’ve gone to the doctor’s sooner.
Sounds weird, I know. Who doesn’t know their own body? But really spend a week or so and pay attention to how your healthy body feels and what it does. Do you cough and sneeze regularly? Does your body ache after a strenuous workout? Are you usually cold, and do you get the chills normally? Knowing your body will help you recognize when something is wrong or off.
Getting the flu was the worst thing I had ever experienced. My body ached, and the fever was like nothing I had ever felt—I thought I was on fire. Take care of yourself this flu season, and keep healthy out there!