What’s the Flu you ask?
The flu virus, whose name is actually Influenza, is straight up not a nice guy! First off, a virus is a parasite that can multiply tremendously in your body. There are several forms (strains) of this villain, which is why a specific vaccine is developed each year depending on the villain that decided to arrive uninvitiedly.
This virus has it all planned out and knows exactly how it can enter your body! Once it finds its attack, it can easily spread by its victim talking, coughing, or sneezing. It can then enter though your mouth, nose, or eyes
This villain is like the villain of villains because it can be DEADLY and can trigger plenty of other complications. It can trigger bacterial pneumonia, ear infections and in more extreme forms, the flu can trigger multi organ failure, sepsis, asthma attacks (if already diagnosed with asthma), it can worsen heart conditions, and more!
Symptoms of the Flu:
- Body aches or pain
- Sudden Fever due to your body trying to fight off the invader
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargic ness or weakness
- Cough
If you want to stay safe and ready in case it decides to start a fight, here are some guidelines to arm up!
Tackling Flu Season:
1. Wash your hands!!!
It is so easy to touch a contaminated surface where the flu virus is just chilling and waiting to easily enter your body! How many times do we touch our face? A lot! Say you’re nervous and have a bad habit of biting your nails so you put your contaminated fingers in your mouth. Maybe you got an eyelash in your eye and you rub eyes with your contaminated hands. Orrrr someone tells you there’s a bat in the cave and you decide to get that little bat out so you use what?? That’s right, your contaminated fingers! Wash your hands as much as you can.
2. Take a germaphoebe kind of mentality
There are germs everywhere and the virus is EVERYWHERE so just be precautious! Obviously don’t go to extremes, but simply, carry a hand sanitizer with you and don’t share drinks! I know you want to be nice and let your friend taste the yummy drink your ordered, but you never know if they’ve been infected. Remember, symptoms don’t show up suddenly. So if you don’t want to be mean, you could just say you think you’re getting sick or something. It’s that easy!
3. Build a strong immune system
Remember, your immune system is what fights off outside invaders due to special cells in the body called Lymphocytes. They’re your most loyal friend and always have your back! Living a healthy lifestyle can boost your immune system, but you have to do your part. Why? Because getting sick sucks… you and I both know that! Sleep is your also another great friend of yours and boosts your immune system so stay away from all nighters, maintain a healthy diet, get you daily dose of Vitamin D, drink lots of water, exercise, and don’t smoke.
4. Manage your stress
We deal with stress more often than not, but stress can seriously hurt us! The flu virus loves when you get stressed because why? Because when you get stressed, your body releases cortisol (a stress hormone), which actually suppresses your immune system making you easily prone to viruses. Self-care is key! Take care of yourself and give yourself some time to relax. If watching YouTube videos puts your mind at ease, then so be it. Do more of what makes you happy and don’t forget to take a deep breath.
5. Exercise and keep your body moving
Exercise is your best friend! It boosts your immune system and manages stress so with that being said, exercise prevents cortisol release. Exercising doesn’t mean you have to do HIIT; you can simply do a moderate workout. You are still capable of working out when you’re sick; just make sure you aren’t working out if you have a fever, body aches, or extreme fatigue.
6. GET YOUR STINKING FLU SHOT!
The flu shot is an inactive form of the Flu virus so NO, it cannot give you the Flu! If you get the flu shot and let’s say unfortunately you get the flu, you may have been exposed to the flu virus prior to getting the vaccine. Remember, It takes TWO WEEKS for protection to develop so be precautious! There’s a BUNCH of research that goes into developing the vaccine and like I said, the flu virus can be deadly so protect yourself and those around you. Think of it this way, you’re saving lives by protecting your own…it’s a win-win!