Well everyone, it’s that time of year again. Halloween is over, Christmas decorations are up and classes are at their peak of suckiness. As Christmas songs start playing more frequently on the radio, coughs and the sounds of sniffling are playing like melodies during every lecture. That’s right everyone, flu season is upon us. For those of you who believe you have immune systems of steel and for the others that will probably get sick with the first drop in temperature, we have compiled a list of how to survive flu season in college like a frickin’ pro.
1. Stock up
For many of us, we have been lucky enough to have our parents around to help us when we get the sniffles. Because of this, you might realize that as soon as you feel that first tickle in your throat, you actually have no idea how to take care of your sick self. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my friends coughing, sneezing and laying in bed without the help of any tissues, cough drops or other cold and flu medicine simply because they can’t go out and get them. My tip for you is to stock up on these items BEFORE you get sick. You aren’t going to feel like driving or walking to the store to get these things when you are in the throes of sickness. Simply go to your nearest corner store and get some tissues, cough drops, cold and flu medicine, Vitamin C and any food that is easy to make when sick.
2. Know your limits
Unlike high school, in college, it is a lot harder to miss classes and labs due to the fear of falling behind. A lot of students end up showing up to class ill, only further spreading their sickness. While it’s important to keep up with your school work and show up to class, there is no need to push yourself too hard and make yourself even sicker. Not only does this make your life harder, it also makes it more likely that your fellow classmates will get sick as well. Simply work with your professors (who probably don’t want to get sick either) to see how you can catch up on work if you need to take a sick day.
When going to class:
3. The sniffling symphony
As I stated earlier, you can always tell when flu season has begun when class lectures begin to be filled with the sounds of sick and tired college students sniffling, coughing and losing their voices. For those of you who struggle to pay attention if there’s a lot of noise or struggle to hear your professor who is also losing their voice, try sitting in the front of the class room so that you can hear better. The plus side to this is that not only can you hear, but it might force you to actually listen during class and could give you a grade boost on that next test.
4. Travel-sized life savers
Let’s be honest here. We have all had that moment where our nose is running during class and we have nothing to help us except the subtle use of our long sleeves as a makeshift tissue. And while no one wants to admit it, many students continue to do this despite the fact that there is a nifty thing called travel-sized Kleenexes. Not only will these leave your sleeves clean and dry, but they might come in handy for your classmate who might be going through the same thing. There are plenty of other travel-sized cold season products such as hand sanitizer, cough drops and other medicines. Simply have them in your bookbag to help you and maybe another flu season victim out and keep them from ruining their favorite shirt.
5. For the shy sick person
Personally, my one greatest fear is having to blow my nose right in the middle of a lecture. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to “go to the bathroom” just to blow my nose or cough my lungs out in the privacy of a stall trying not to annoy my classmates. While it is very polite of those of us who do this, we need to come to the understanding that our classmates honestly don’t give a crap if we have to cough loudly during class a few times. Honestly, everyone has been there and can probably sympathize with their classmates. If you just can’t get over the fear, sit near the back of the class so you can slip out quickly to do your business.
All in all, the flu/cold season is something that hits pretty fast when it comes around. And whether you are trying to avoid it or survive through it, it’s pretty important to take care of yourself and your health. As someone who is currently typing this with a nearby bag of cough drops and some tissues to handle a stuffy nose, I hope these tips help you out in your time of need.
If you have any other tips you would like to share or just want to let us know how these tips helped you, email us at [email protected]