What Not to do (and What to Do) When You're Sick in College

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There's a bug going around campus. Students everywhere are catching colds, fevers, and stomach aches, which couldn't happen at a worse time - with midterms both this past week and next week. I thought I was over my cold last week, but this week I've had nothing but a scorching forehead and dizzy stomach. Work, classes, homework, meetings, social events, and death all awaited me because I don't take care of myself very well. Fortunately, for you, from my mistakes you can learn how to avoid doing the same. Here are five things to do (and not to do) when you're sick in college. 

What NOT to Do:

1. Don't Stay up late at night

If you have work or classes in the early morning, do not stay up late at night watching Netflix or playing video games, especially when you're sick. Some of us struggle more than others to put our phones away and resist the urge to scroll through social media before bed, but I encourage you to practice self-control and put that phone away. 

If you have a roommate who you feel doesn't care about your pain, I feel for you; some people are selfish. On a positive note, you can communicate with them and try to convince them that as a roommate pair (or trio, quartet) you have the right to rest in your living space just as much as they do. I hope this isn't a problem you have to face, but at times we are called to be brave and have civil conversations like the adults that we are. You need to go to bed because you're sick and need as much rest as humanly possible. You can't miss your exam the next day, and you can't take off work. Most people are sympathetic towards those who are sick, so make sure that you don't assume that your roommate won't respect you. 

2. Don't Lash Out At Your Friends (or others)

We all feel terrible every once in a while. Our bodies reject our ambitions and desire to finish everything we set out to do. We feel frustration and sadness, and just need to let it all out. What you don't need is to take out your feelings on other people. At some point, all of us will feel at our lowest. This doesn't give you the right to put anyone down by yelling at them or making them feel as though only your feelings matter. You may say things you wish you didn't say, or things you know you should never say, and it will take time and good communication on your part to remedy such situations. It's better to do your best to regulate your emotions from the start and remember that being ill is not a free pass to be cruel. 

3. Don't Eat Junk Food and Drink No Water

It's tempting to eat onion rings and fries because they taste good, but they tend not to help your body feel good, at all. If the pub is the best for you due to your schedule, try to substitute the fried sides for carrots or apples. The pub offers soup now, which is my personal favorite, and I don't see anything wrong with eating grilled cheese every day. 

4. Don't Be Unhygienic 

Wash your hands when you're sick. Wash your hands when you're not sick. No matter what's going on in your life WASH YOUR HANDS! There is no sugarcoating this. Coating disgusting germs with sugar will just make your hands sticky. Gross! If you don't wash your hands, you are spreading illness and disease. If you don't wash your hands, you are ignoring one of the greatest things humans have done to prevent disease, besides medicine and vaccinations. Brush your teeth, floss, take a shower, and wear clean clothes. Germs linger and spread, so wash those horrible things away. Cover your mouth when you sneeze with your elbows or into a tissue. Your sneeze shoots germs out into the air where other Kohawks breathe them in and become infected. If they aren't infected, those germs still linger on them and move onto others.

Don't sneeze into your hands: you touch things with your hands, and spread germs with your hands. Use hand sanitizer after you blow your nose and before touching new surfaces. Sanitize surfaces with disinfectant wipes when you make messes, touch keyboards, or use exercise equipment. When your symptoms go away, clean your dorm and sanitize it so that your living space doesn't become a petri-dish for the flu virus (or the million other viruses spreading across campus). 

5. Don't Avoid Doing Any Homework

This may appear to be the polar opposite of getting well-deserved sleep, and depending on your schedule there's a chance that it is. On the worst days of a cold or fever, homework isn't even on the mind, because you're just trying to survive. You may have an understanding professor, who allows you to miss class when you're sick or turn in assignments late without losing a ton of points; however, this does not mean that you get a free pass to not do any homework. Sure, you may not be able to focus enough to write your entire 15 page paper on France in the 17th century, but most likely there will be days when you can sit on your bed and read a few research articles. The flu lasts between one and two weeks, and ranges in severity. More often than not, you will not be severely ill for two whole weeks, so for some of those days taking ibuprofen is enough to get you through. 

What to Do:

1. Do Parent Yourself

I can't stress enough how important it is to sleep when you're sick. I have a serious character flaw where I push myself to the point of exhaustion but don't take any naps. Listen, many researchers  advise us not to take naps after 5 pm to avoid messing with our sleep cycle, but when you can't focus on your work, and feel like vomiting every time you sit up straight too quickly, do yourself a favor and go to sleep. You are an adult now, so your no one can make you take care of yourself, though your friends may try. A common piece of advice is to try to "parent yourself", by setting rules to follow while you're ill to ensure you meet your responsibilities. For example, you tell yourself that you are not allowed to go out with friends because you need to rest. It's very difficult to "parent yourself" when you feel like you're supposed to be the perfect child who does it all while being ill. It's equally as challenging to make yourself say "no" to others' requests; but, try to be kind to yourself and let yourself relax under the covers while your worries slip away. 

2. Do Be Honest with Your Feelings 

Being sick sucks. You notice every little ache and cramp your body experiences, and you cry for no reason, yet for every reason. You think that you're mad but you know that you're sad, and every noise in the hallway irritates you. You're tired from all the work you've done, and you're stressed by all the work you haven't. Now that your body is shutting down and forcing you to slow down, use this time to be in the present and open up to yourself about how you got to this point. You can open up to your friends and let it all out. It's nice to share our feelings with others, and release the pent up feelings we've pushed out of our thoughts for far too long. Having a shoulder to cry on, or someone who will listen are great experiences. 

Remember that your friends are not brick walls, and if they decide to open up to you as a way to express empathy, offer them the same kindness that they gave to you. If you want to have a conversation with someone who cares, do so. If you want to be heard and know you don't want to hear, make sure the person you open up to is aware of this; otherwise, recording a video diary entry, writing a journal entry, or talking to your pillow are wonderful alternatives. 

3. Do Eat Your Veggies and Drink Plenty of Water

When you're sick your body tends to struggle a bit with basic things, like digesting. Try to go a bit easy on the poor thing by eating more veggies. The caf serves steamed carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and more. Many of us prefer the taste of ice cream or pizza over greens. But, if you think about it, your taste buds may be numbed down, so the taste of Brussels sprouts won't be so bad. Make sure to drink plenty of water and a lot less soda and juice. Our bodies love water, especially when we're sick, because it flows through our digestion system, clearing out all those nasty germs that linger around. It also hydrates us, which is important because we tend to become dehydrated when ill. I won't tell you to stop drinking your favorite soda, but water should be your primary source of hydration. 

4. Do Practice Basic Hygiene

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Getting your hand wet with cold water and shaking it off doesn't do anything to kill germs. Clean your dorm by disinfecting surfaces with wipes and do your laundry to wash away all the built up bacteria from all the bed rest. Take a nice relaxing shower and use soap, or else there was no point in taking a shower. Remember to wash your face and brush your teeth too. These all may seem like basic habits a majority of people have built up by the time they come to college, but, when you're sick it can be difficult to put much effort in doing things that seem tedious. When you feel so exhausted that you can barely leave your bed without feeling like you're going to vomit, taking a shower may not seem like something worthwhile. You may feel that you can go start these habits once you feel better, however, you'll probably feel better  sooner once you breathe in the steam of the shower, or wash all the sweat off your face.

5. Do Email Your Professors
Each course is different, and depending on your professor you may be able to take one or two sick days this semester. Check your syllabus to see whether you're able to turn in some assignments a little late without losing entire letter grades. I do not recommend expecting your professors to let you slide when you don't give them notice. Even if your professor is a really, really patient person, use this as practice for when you get into the real world and your employer may not be so lenient. 

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Being sick sucks, but eventually you won't be sick, so look forward to a wonderful future! I was sick two weeks ago, thought I was better, got sick again (but worse), and today finally feel well enough to rush through as much homework as I can. I have a problem where I either push myself too hard or procrastinate, which explains why I'm still sick! Tough love is necessary when you know you have a habit of procrastinating or not following through on commitments. Gentle love is also necessary when you constantly push too many responsibilities on yourself, and struggle to take the time to care for your needs. Find your balance and make the best decisions for you. No one's perfect, we all make mistakes, and we all wish we could've done something differently in the past. Who's to tell us that the decisions we made weren't the best we could've done during that time? I can't make you take a shower when you're sick, just like you can't stop me from washing my hands.

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