Being Sick in College

It should not come as a surprise to you that, we are humans and not robots, Unless there is something sinister going on here and i just haven't realized that I've been coexisting with a bunch of stepford wives and characters from the worlds end. But assuming that were all made of flesh and blood, no matter how healthy we are, there will come a time when we will get sick in college.

Maybe your sick prone, maybe you haven't gotten sick in ages, it doesn't really matter, eventually it will happen so here's just a few things that I have picked up on about how to evade illness as long as possible and how to deal with it when it happens.

Drink a lot of water and Eat healthy.
I personally drink at least 4 bottles of water a day. Water keeps you hydrated, is zero calories and will flush toxins out of your system. Use your own judgement on how much water you drink. Whenever possible replace juice and soda for water and coffee for tee (or something water based like an americano). Try to hit all your food groups and eat until your full. Being healthy helps you keep your ammune system up and fights off minor diseases

 Dress for the weather.
Sometimes there are going to be times when the weatherman says that it will be 40 and it ends up being 10 degrees instead. This happens. Try your best not to forget your warm clothing. (I always keep a spare scarf gloves and ear muffs in my backpack just in case). But please do not be that girl going out to a party in a mini dress with no jacket. You may be drunk now but you'll have a nasty cold. I would say that pants are always a good thing.

Take precautionary methods.
My college offers free "cold packs" which is a brown bag containing Advil, lozenges, nasal decongestants and cough syrup. If your school offers something similar pick one up when your not sick. Because when your dying on a Sunday you are not going to want to trek across the campus. Also get a flu shot. I don't care if you don't like needles (don't look). It takes 2 seconds. I was glad I had done it when my best friend was dramatically drafting her will after having the flu for four days in a row.

If/When you get sick, take care of yourself
Even if your not hungry eat, If you not thirsty you still need to drink water. The other day I was nursing my friend Ashley back to health and she hadn't eaten in 3 days, Sickness sucks, but being sick, and dehydrated with no nutrients is even worse. Your body has no way to heal its self without nutrients. And don't go out. You need to focus on getting better.

Just remember that throwing up in the dorms is horrible. Try to take medicine and drink a lot of water when you are first starting to feel the symptoms of sicknesses. If you think something worse then a cold or the stomach flu is bothering you, or you've been sick for more then 3 days without feeling better go to your health clinic on campus. Checkups are fast and usually free. You pay for that as part of you tuition so don't be afraid to go there.

Stay healthy and well! Hopefully it warms up soon.