This last week I have been the sickest I have been since being in college. It took me out, and humbled me. I’ve been lucky this semester, I have dodged every scary sickness going around the dorms until now. Since the Mucinex Man has moved out of my head, I thought it would be nice to share some tips for getting over a cold.Â
Rest
My first symptoms showed up on a Sunday. It was pretty mild, so I didn’t really notice it. Monday, however, was a different story. I felt worse for sure, but thought I could make it through my day. I was wrong. I went home after my first class and immediately fell asleep. It was so necessary. When I woke up, I definitely felt better. I decided to keep it lowkey for the rest of the week. I didn’t go to the gym, I went to bed early, and when I really just couldn’t, I missed class. This is my PSA: when you feel good go to class, so when you feel bad you don’t have to feel bad about missing!Â
I spent the weekend resting too! I kept going to bed early and sleeping in, I hung out in my room watching movies and catching up on reading for class. On the next Sunday, I felt much better! Instead of being in an energy deficit, I was much closer to back to normal. Prioritize yourself when you’re sick! Take a nap!
Student Health Services
My symptoms started at the beginning of the week, so by Friday, I was done. I gave Student Health Services a call, and they were able to squeeze me in the same day. The appointment didn’t take long either. I was in and out! I saw a nurse and nurse practitioner, got a strep test (it was negative!), and chatted about some at-home remedies in under thirty minutes. I definitely recommend paying a visit to SHS. I followed their advice, and two days later I feel so much better, when usually I am sick for at least two weeks.
Fluids
I know you hear it all the time, but drink some water! Keep filling up that water bottle. Thin out that snot and flush out those germs! Set some alarms on your phone to take some drinks of water, carry your water bottle in your hand or set it on your desk in class so you don’t forget about it. Whatever you need to do to drink more water while sick, do it. It makes a huge difference. Especially when the decongestant medicine starts to dry out your mouth and skin too.Â
Another way that really helps me get fluids and soothes a sore throat is warm tea. I personally love chamomile tea with honey. Unfortunately, I had to give up coffee for the week too, so having something better suited for illness to replace that habit was very helpful.Â
Home Remedies
After talking to my doctor, I changed up some of the things I was doing to get better. I changed to over the counter medicine I was taking because she told me that it wasn’t actually effective for decongestion. Eating when sick is also not fun, so I paid more attention to what soups the dining hall had. Staying well fed while sick is very important, as your body needs all the support it can get in getting better. I also stayed on my vitamin C grind, drinking a bunch of orange juice and Emergen-C. I also did some warm salt water gargles to soothe my sore throat.Â
Personally all of these things really helped me recover from this sinister cold, but I am not everyone. As always, consult your doctor when experiencing an illness.Â