This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter.
We all know the feeling: a couple weeks into school, when everyone is suddenly coughing uncontrollably, sneezing constantly, and sniffling incessantly. There is no better person to describe every college kid’s feelings about sickness like Michael Scott.
The first signs sickness start to emerge. You wake up with a sore throat and do everything in your power to pretend it’s not the start of a brutal week or two. Just blame it on all the new germ-infested freshmen roaming campus.
The next day, the rest of your symptoms become more and more prominent. After overdosing on cough medicine, making it through class awake is even harder than normal. The only thing getting you through your lecture is knowing that a nap awaits you on the other side.
You keep cursing the world and wondering why such bad things happen to good people. You’re drowning in a sea of tissues. Being a little overdramatic is understandable. It might not be the end of the world, but you might as well act like it is.
All you want to do is curl up into the fetal position and throw all of your responsibilities aside. Nothing sounds better than being nurtured by your mother and a nice bowl of her chicken noodle soup. But then you remember that your health is unfortunately your own responsibility now that you’re in college. You have to be an “adult,” whatever that is.
After checking WebMD, you’re convinced you have some rare, life-threatening disease. There’s nothing wrong with calling your mom so she can assure you that, yes, it is just the common cold. She can give you the secrets of how to feel better.
As the weekend rolls around, your sickness brings about a whole new set of problems. You face the internal conflict of whether to go out or not. On one hand, your head is telling you to get some rest, and on the other hand is your heart knowing you don’t want to miss out on any good parties. Are your health and well-being really worth the FOMO? Probably not.
When the peak of the sickness hits, you feel like you’ll never remember what it’s like to breathe out of both nostrils, to not have to bring tissues to every class, and to not be addicted to cough drops. Even the thought of moving seems like a struggle. On the bright side, it’s a valid excuse not to leave your bed for hours on end.
Finally, the end is in sight. You appreciate everything. That is, until the next college struggle rolls around. Cover Image Source
