If there’s one thing that we all dread, it’s getting sick in college. Cold weather, sleepless nights (spent studying, of course!) and close quarters (like your dorm or tiny apartment) are breeding grounds for bacterial and viral disease. So lucky for you, all of your worst fears came true:
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Food
We all know that when you’re sick you’re supposed to eat as healthy as possible to keep your vitamins and daily values in check. “No problem,” you think. As someone who hardly ever craves junk food or sweets, you know for sure you’ll be golden. You. Are. So. Wrong. This week you are Willy Wonka. All you want is ice cream, three candy bars, a bag of hot tamales and a melty brownie cookie from the dining hall… and egg drop soup. What’s in your refrigerator? Ingredients for green smoothies, grilled chicken, vegetables and unsweetened almond milk. The closest you get to sweets are flavored water and non-fat Greek yogurt. Yum.
Going to the Doctor’s Office
If there’s one thing that you vow to educate yourself on after this week, it’s free healthcare and how to make it happen. Having to go to the campus health center twice because you were misdiagnosed the first time, your bank account hates you. I mean really, why is a visit to someone to listen to you breathe so darn expensive? I won’t even get you started on antibiotics. You have better things to spend your money on.
Going to Class/Work
So what, you’re sick. You can still go to class. No pro- *cough, cough, cough, sneeze, cough* ehem, problem. Let me tell you, you don’t know how much power professors and bosses have until they tell you to leave their classrooms and don’t come back until you aren’t spraying contagion in the air. *backs away slowly*
Getting Enough Rest
This is the one upside of being sick. You finally get to catch up on all of the hours of sleep you’ve lost watching Gossip Girl — er, studying. You snuggle into your twin XL, make a pillow fort and just start to drift off when in bursts your roommate and closest friends. Where is that bottle of NyQuil? Oh yeah, you don’t have any.
Roomies
Roommate: *through the door and a mask* You need anything?
You: *through your clogged nasal passages* Yeah, if I give you some money would you mind picking me up some NyQuil and tissues with the lotion in them?
Roommate: Oooo, actually I meant from the dining hall. I have a really great parking spot and I don’t want to lose it… but feel better!
Roomies (When They Want You To Do Something)
Roomie: *calls from the other room so as not to catch your infectious disease* Hey, are you feeling better yet? We want to go out tonight, and it won’t be the same unless you go!
Being Taken Care Of
Is not a thing in college. Nobody wants to take the chance of getting sick, and let’s face it, motherly instincts haven’t really kicked in yet. That’s okay though, it’s time to become Miss Independent. You are your own soup getter, timely medicine distributor, temperature taker and rule maker. So you suck it up, eat cold soup, take your medicine at noon rather than in the morning, keep forgetting to buy a thermometer, and allow yourself to sleep 14 hours under the influence of the NyQuil you had to drive yourself to buy with your own money. Because you are an adult.