It’s the most wonderful time of the year…for germs and illness. After all, tis the seasons – the flu season. We’ve reached that point in the semester where we all find ourselves a little bit under the weather, a little bit full of phlegm, with a lot of stress and little desire to be away from home. So as a pro at being sick, I’ve compiled a short list of how to be sick while you are at school. And more importantly, how to survive.
Wash your hands
The first rule of flu season is: You do not talk about–I mean, to sanitize. I always laugh at those signs telling employees to wash their hands. Let’s just replace those with, “EVERYONE BETTER WASH YOUR HANDS, DAMMIT, BECAUSE IF NOT, THAT’S GROSS.” When everyone else seems to be falling under, take the necessary precautions to avoid catching anything. If you are already knocked down, then keep yourself clean, you little nasty, so as to not infect the rest of us. Remember: Keep clean, do the Lady Macbeth.
Take hot showers
If you are feeling like utter crap, a warm shower is a good way to sooth an aching body and a stuffy nose. Unfortunately, we don’t have bathtubs, the preferred method. I believe pre-renovated Murphy did, but they were probably the state of the bathroom in The Shining with that decaying woman, so, no. But that doesn’t mean you can’t stand under hot water, whimpering and sniveling for hours – it’s not like you’re paying the water bill!
Soup is your new best friend
Get soup. From the dining hall, from Whole Foods, from a can, from the Tween, from a cup you found on the street, I don’t care where it’s from, just as long as it tastes like snuggles and something your mother would give you.
Make use of the Health Center
Or informally known as the Health Trailer due to its current location. I know many people who have complained that the Health Center’s approach is saltines and ginger ale, but there is no harm in going to see a professional conveniently on campus when feeling sickly. At any rate, you’ll get some free food and medicine, and validation that it’s not fatal. They offer a variety of services, such as consultations, examinations, and laboratory testing, and are open Monday-Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. There is also an onsite physician every day in the morning from 9-10. So, if you are worried this goes beyond the typical stuffy nose and fever, take further action!
More information here: http://sites.jcu.edu/healthcenter/
Get lots of sleep and drinks lots of water
This is what my mom always tells when I’m feeling sick. If I broke my leg, she’d probably tell me to go to bed early and keep hydrated. But honestly, if you are starting to feel ill, flush yourself with water, and get a good nights rest. Failing to do either of these will only put more stress on your body, making it more susceptible to illness and harder to fight the current one.
Don’t forget to be a student
It’s easy to want to skip all your classes when you are feeling like trash, but utilize that time wisely. If you do have to skip classes, notify your professor and then use that time to catch up on sleep and feel better, or to get work done so you can get more rest that night. Don’t exaggerate your symptoms to convince yourself to skip, but don’t drag yourself to class if you are on your death bed and contagious. We’ve all been in both situations, so be smart!
And when all is said and done, you can return to your kind, reliable, wonderful bed. It’s always there to support you.
But also be lazy
Adding on to the last one, don’t overwork yourself. If you have to take a day off and just watch television (personally, I always put on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when everything hurts), then recognize that you have to do that. Especially, on the weekends. Last semester when I got the flu, I laid in bed with a water bottle and a garbage bin, my computer perpetually streaming Doctor Who and Jurassic Park. No shame, sometimes it is necessary to indulge in zombie activity as long as you don’t start feasting on human brains.
Accept your new dependency on tissues
Every season I get hit with a massive cold that seems to endlessly produce snot. I’m pretty sure I could blow my nose for hours, and it’ll just keep on coming. We call it the Bribonic Plague and it has no cure, but I can tell you one thing, it’s absolute hell. When I am stricken, I arm myself with tissues, it’s only known enemy. Stock up on resources, prepare yourself soldiers, cause the holiday season, while wonderful, can also be a doozey.
Know it’ll pass
Being sick on its own is enough to make anyone lose faith in their existence; curling into a ball of aches, hoping the universe will pity them enough to send them a clean, painless end. And being sick at school, right before or during finals week, could be adapted into a new form of military torture, but all bad things come to an end. It’s extremely inconvenient and unfair, but sadly it comes with the territory of winter. Just know that soon you’ll be home, nestled in a blanket, watching your favorite holiday movies with your family and stuffing your face with homemade cookies. What more could a girl ask for?
So, when illnesses and finals week all come in like a wrecking ball, remember to properly take care of yourself as well as all your responsibilities as a student. And after you survive, remember to –