Cold and flu season is approaching… You know what that means: zero productivity and not going to class because you can barely get out of bed. Whether you are living in the cesspool that is the dorms or live with 23 women in a close-quarters sorority house like I do, there are only so many things you can do to prevent yourself from getting sick. So when the inevitable nausea, sore throat, and sniffles make their way to your body… here is a guide to surviving the misery.
Mind:
Listening to music has been proven to make surgeries go more successfully and help patients heal faster. The calming nature and fluidity of music could help cure your ailment as well! In addition, reading is a good way to pass time when you are stuck at home all day. Delve into a classic such as “To Kill a Mockingbird”, or Harper Lee’s newly released sequel, “Go Set a Watchmen”.
Body:
The best thing that you can do for your body when you are so ill is to care for it. Being sick does not give you an excuse to eat junk food, its actually quite the opposite. You should drink plenty of water, obviously, but you can also drink ginger ale to aid an active stomach, Emergen-C or orange juice to give your immune system a burst of vitamin C, or cranberry juice to try and flush toxins out of your body. And of course, once we get past the I-can-only-stomach-Saltines phase of sickness, the best things I can suggest for a meal are Café Rio’s tortilla soup and celery sticks with peanut butter.
Soul:
Lets be totally honest, when we are sick in bed, instead of sleeping like the doctor recommends, we have a tendency to watch Netflix instead. Here are good things to binge watch while on an upset stomach (because as much as we all love The Walking Dead, zombies might make us a bit queasy):
Documentary: Somm focuses on four men who are studying to become master wine tasters. It is a very informative piece that makes you want to take the sommelier class they offer at SLCC and become a master wine tester yourself
Television: Parks and Recreation, Shameless, Family Guy, Friends… These shows need zero explanation and should be watched at all times.
Comedy: John Mulaney’s New in Town is a hilarious stand up comedy show written and performed by one of the writers from Saturday Night Live. He is the creator of the SNL character “Stefan”, so you cant go wrong. There is also Bo Burnham’s what., if you are looking for a more controversial and offensive, yet brilliant, comedy show.
Movie: Legally Blonde, Clueless, and Mean Girls are three movies that are binge-worthy, but also short and not very deep so your resting brain doesn’t have to analyze the not-so-complex characters.