It’s that time of the year again! Everyone is sniffling, sneezing, coughing, and generally spreading their germs all over campus. It’s nearly impossible to avoid it, but there is so much you can try to do to zap the sickness out of your system! Over the three and a half years I’ve been at Furman, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks on how to deal with the elusive “crud,” as the campus infirmary so lovingly calls it…
Zyrtec… everyday
I know this may seem simple, but something my mom always got onto me about was taking some sort of allergy medication every day in order to prevent the “crud”. Although I questioned it at first, after I started taking it daily, I realized she may have been on to something.
Hot tea and soup
Most of the time, when I do contract the “crud”, what hurts the most is my throat. I can always tell when I’m getting sick if I wake up and my throat has that feeling, the feeling we’re all familiar with, that lets us know a cold is coming on. To soothe my throat, I turn to tea with honey and I am a firm believer in the power of chicken noodle soup as a combination cure. Maybe it’s a placebo, but it always seems to do the trick for me.
Sleep
More often than not, we’re more likely to get sick when we’re stressed, tired, or overwhelmed, which can lead to or be a result of lack of sleep. Rest is healing to us, so don’t be hesitant to go to bed early, sleep in if you can, do your work from your bed or if you can, don’t do any work at all!
For some reason, I am always sick here on campus (I think I blame the air vents), but these are a few simple and easy ways to deal with the “crud”. Hopefully these tips work for you and your battle against the “crud”.