Wednesday, February 1, 2017

How to Survive Being Sick in College

Guess who's sick again! After the doctor telling me I had Influenza and about a week of thinking I was better, I ended up catching yet another virus. I must have the worst immune system or something because I've literally been sick since before first semester even started. After countless trips to the health center and urgent care, many medications and about 10 bottles of gatorade, I've come to realize what a student really needs to survive being sick in college. Read my tips below!


+ Have basic medicine on hand
Before moving in to school in August, people told me to stock up on Advil, Tylenol, etc. because apparently everyone gets sick pretty often in college. I guess I underestimated this advice or something because I did not have half the amount of medicines I needed when I got super sick! I recommend having a good amount of Tylenol and Ibuprofen in your room as well as a First Aid kit (at least bandaids and Neosporin) because I promise you'll use it more than you would think!

+ Stock up on fluids 
Hydrating with lots of water is obviously important, but any sports drink with salt and electrolytes will really help your body start to recover. Gatorade is the only thing that has gotten me to feel more "with it" because I've been so low on electrolytes. When I was super sick during rush, my friend ran to CVS and got me 8 bottles - they honestly helped so much!

+ Invest in a thermometer
I can't even remember the last time I used a thermometer when I was living at home, so I didn't think it would be necessary to have one in college. One morning last week, though, I woke up, got out of bed and became super dizzy and hot out of no where. That day, I went to the Health Center (aka my second home) and picked up a thermometer. I ended up having another one of those super hot spells and figured out that I had a 102.8 fever. Thank god I finally figured out my temperature when I did and was able to get the medicine for it.

+ Don't forget to eat!
When I'm sick, I often lose my appetite and forget to eat for a good amount of the day. Being in college, it takes so much effort to walk somewhere to grab food that it makes eating while you're sick even more challenging. However, you'll probably feel even worse and won't get better as quickly. My roomie is seriously the best and would run and get me food a couple times every day I was really sick - I don't know what I would have done without her!

+ Rest, rest, rest
At home, I always took for granted how peaceful and quiet it was when I needed it to be. If I was exhausted and needed a nap or a good night's sleep, nothing really stopped me from doing so. At school, though, there's always stuff going on. People are yelling in the hallway, neighbors are blasting music, you have a ton of work to get done... the distractions are endless. What I've realized, though, is that the only way you'll get better is by dedicating a few days to getting quality rest. Do some work from bed, maybe run an errand or two but really focus on getting lots of sleep and down time. Skip going out for a weekend to make sure you're back to being healthy!

Any other tips? Comment them below! 
Sorry for my sporadic posts lately - I need to kick this virus in the butt then I'll be back to blogging :)
xoxo

5 comments :

  1. My immune system got so bad in college and I was sick ALL the time! What I did when I got sick was really rest and I mean stay in my tiny dorm and not leave until I felt 100%. It is so important to not fight through it and go along with your day but just rest. It is no fun at all but it is what I found that worked for me. Feel better!
    xo elle // https://splashofpreppy.com

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  2. I love this. I am also sick, so I can relate to this a lot right now hahah. I hope you feel better though, for the weekend :-)

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  3. These are some really good ideas. Two things that can help to avoid getting sick are oranges and garlic. Vitamin C from the oranges is an immune booster and garlic is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal and will help kill any infections in your body.

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  4. These tips are awesome, Caroline! I hope you feel better soon!

    xoxo,
    Katie
    chicincarolina.blogspot.com

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