How To Avoid Getting Sick This Flu Season

Let’s be honest. No one likes getting sick. Usually around this time of year, people are starting to get sick. Every sniffle, cough, and lost voice can drive someone insane. It’s even worse when the sickness spreads. Now you’re probably thinking “Ilyssa, is there any way I can avoid getting sick this flu season?” Yes, but you should also know what to do when you do get sick.

Here’s a few tips on how to avoid getting sick during flu season.

  • Hand sanitize!

Most of the time, rubbing a little bit of hand sanitizer will increase your chances of not getting sick. If you don’t your own bottle, you could either buy a bottle or use one of the machines that are all over campus. There’s a lot of them on campus, so be sure to use them.

  • Wipe down your gym equipment.

This one can be overlooked a bit. If you’re an avid gym-goer, sometimes people won’t wipe down the machine after using it. Both gyms on campus have bottles of diluted lysol you can use to knock out the germs on your favorite machine. Why get sick at a place where you want to be healthy?

  • Get a flu shot

As long as you don’t have a fear of needles, getting your flu shot will help protect you, your roommates, and your family from getting sick. You can either check with Mary Walker Health Center to see when their flu clinics are (it’s free, by the way) or see if your local hospital has their own clinics.

  • Buy a bottle of disinfectant spray

Not only will using the spray benefit you, but it will also benefit your roommate(s) or housemate (s). That way all of you can avoid getting sick.

What happens if my roommate is sick?

Be cautious, but don’t avoid them unless it’s really serious. Help them out with any schoolwork they missed. See if you can make them some soup or pick up medicine. Also, be sure to hand sanitize and spray lysol when they’re not in the room.

What happens if I get sick?

Don’t panic. I know it stinks to get sick, but it happens to everyone. Here are some ways you can get better in no time.

  • Neti pot

A neti pot is that thing that looks like a teapot. First, you put in lukewarm water and the salts they provide you. Next, tilt your head to the side. Carefully pour the water down the side of your nose facing upwards. If you see water coming down the other side of your nose or your through your mouth, don’t panic. It means it’s working. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the other side of your nose. The neti pot is pretty effective so I’d suggest getting one if you need to get rid of your cold ASAP.

  • Drink lots of fluids, especially orange juice and water

I don’t drink orange juice, so my alternative is a giant Vitamin C pill and B-12 pill. Any sort of Vitamin C you can get is beneficial. I would skip the soda and coffee for until you get better and try to get some tea with honey. Tea will help your voice recover better than soda and coffee will.

  • Lots and lots of rest

If you have a long weekend, take that opportunity to recover and sleep in. If it happens during the week and you’re really sick, see if you can rest up.

Email your professors ahead of time and let them know you can’t make it to class that day. Depending on the attendance policy and how many classes you’ve missed, the professor will probably be understanding and let you miss the class (unless, of course, there’s a big test that day). Get in contact with someone you know who’s in the class and ask them for the notes you missed and assignments you have to make up. Don’t forget to stay on top of your assignments!

You can also ask your RA if they can send you a “sick tray” from one of the dining halls if you don’t have the energy to get up.

Stay healthy this flu season!

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