The following article is based on my own experience. What works for me, and it might not work for you. I am not an expert.
For those of you that are like me and have been on campus for a few years now, we all know the terror that sets in once you begin to feel symptomatic of a mysterious illness. It always seems to happen at the worst possible times during the semester, and it always feels like you’ll be down for the count for weeks on end. My freshman year, I was sick for about five months straight until I contracted Coronavirus at Christmas and it factory reset my immune system.
It’s really scary.
However, I’ve learned how to try to get ahead of it as best as you can. It can obviously be better once you’re not living in the dorms, but even in the dorms, there are ways to lessen the blow. Here are some of the things that work for me!
Elderberry! elderberry! elderberry!
When my mom first mentioned that she wanted me to start taking elderberry gummies prior to college, I never understood why. She swore up and down they would boost my immune system to prevent illness from school but it was during a time of remote learning. However, I kept taking them. That was until I got to college, when my schedule got a little more spaced out until it was very rare for me to be taking them. Just like that, however, I started to get the worst illness of my life. It scared me so much that I’ve been routinely taking them every morning since then.
Other Vitamins
If you’re willing and able, I would recommend taking other vitamins as part of your daily routine. My go-to is the Flintstone vitamins! It just helps overall with your health, and it’s better to be proactive, rather than reactive towards an illness. Make it your own, though. You don’t have to sprint to Target to get Flintstone vitamins. Instead, think about what else you can be taking that can still assist with your overall health. For example, I’ve also dabbled with young women’s general vitamin gummies.
Humidifiers, Diffusers, and Air Purifiers
If you’re not able to beat out the sickness, and you’re beginning to come down with something, I cannot stress enough how important it is to help the air around you. If you’re in a dorm, let’s face it, the air quality may not be the greatest. However, if you have an air purifier, that can really help with it all. It just makes the air in your room a bit better. Dorms can also have extremely dry air, especially at night. I know that when most people think about a humidifier, you think about something large and clunky, but there are plenty of personal humidifier options! I personally have a little one that works excellent. With a diffuser, it can just help to have things like eucalyptus in the air to relieve stuffy noses. I use mine heavily any time I begin to feel sick to get a sense of relief. Just like the humidifier, you can find a smaller and more personal style that works best for you! Target has tons of cute options that are worth taking a look at!
Buy Medicine Before You’re Sick
Nothing is worse than feeling like you’re coming down with a cold or the flu, and you realize that you have no medicine on hand. That’s why I truly believe that it can never hurt to have medicine on hand in your dorm/house/apartment. Even if it’s just a small pack of off-brand Dayquil and Nightquil pills from Dollar Tree — which I’ve found to work surprisingly well. To have a few tablets on hand, you can add relief to the illness while staying prepared. I make sure to have things like Vicks rub as well. It works great relieving stuffy noses and sinus pressure. Even having things like Advil on hand can help. It’s even worth keeping masks in your space to limit the spread.