Being sick while at school seriously sucks, especially when finals week is approaching. Of course, it makes sense. With all the added stress of completing your last assignments for your courses and preparing for finals, it’s a lot for your body to handle. Sometimes, it has to give in to one of the many diseases that travel around such an small campus as Kenyon. I’ve put together a list of a few things to keep in mind while you’re sick, so that before you know it, you’ll be better than ever and ready to ace those finals!
1. Listen to your body. When your body’s using up so much energy trying to fight off an infection, you simply can’t do everything that you want to. Pushing yourself to try to get all of your homework assignments done won’t help you in the long run; it’ll only make your body take longer to heal! Try to email your professors about extensions, and most will understand, especially if you’ve got a diagnosis from the health center. Which brings me to my second point…
2. Go to the health center. The cost of appointments is included in our tuition, so why not take advantage of it? Best-case scenario, they can give you antibiotics that’ll help you to start feeling better in a few days. Worst-case scenario, you have a virus that can’t be fought off with antibiotics, but they can still provide you with some samples of over the counter drugs like decongestants and throat lozenges. Plus, depending on how serious your illness is they might be able to give you a note that excuses you from classes or at least allows for extensions on assignments.
3. Decide whether or not you need to attend your classes. If the health center can get you out of classes, that’s great, but sometimes you’ll need to decide for yourself whether you can afford to miss a class. Most professors will allow you a certain number of unexcused absences before penalizing your grade. Even if you know you’ll be covering important information in class that day, if you won’t be able to pay attention because you feel so rotten, it simply might not be worth it. You can always borrow the notes from a classmate and meet with your professor during their office hours once you feel better. They should understand, especially if you email them explaining the circumstances.
4. Drink lots of water and eat well. Drinking fluids is important when you’re sick, because it helps to flush out the toxins in your body. It also keeps you hydrated, and you definitely don’t want to be dehydrated on top of being sick! You should also try to keep eating nutritious foods if you can stomach them, like oranges (especially if you have a cold), spinach salad, or chicken noodle soup. Even if you don’t feel great, your body still needs its vitamins so that it can fight off that infection!
5. Sleep, sleep, sleep. The single best thing you can do for your body is to get lots of rest, as that’s when your body is best able to heal itself. As I said before, it doesn’t help to push yourself if it jeopardizes your health. We take many, many classes at Kenyon over our four years hear, but you only get one body, and it’s important to take care of it.
Stay strong, Kenyon. I know when you’re sick it can feel like you’ll never get better, but you will get through this! And summer is so close; you’ll be home before you know it!
Image: theindianleader.com