It’s winter quarter, which means it is time for aggressive rain, inherently more difficult classes, and campus-wide illnesses. While I find winter quarter to be the most underrated quarter, these factors do put a damper on the winter months in Davis.
When you start to feel sick, it can be quite disheartening and frustrating. Here are a couple things you can do in these beginning stages that should help lessen the severity and shorten the length of your sickness.
1. Water, water, water!
I know that everybody is always telling you to drink more water, but water is a very real and very effective immunity booster. It is essential for all that your body does, and it is especially necessary when your body is working extra hard to fight an illness. When I start to feel sick, I drink upwards of a gallon of water a day. This may seem like a lot, but I promise it is worth all the trips to the bathroom.
2. Wellness pills
Wellness pills are supplements developed to support your immune system when it is working harder than it normally has to. When you start to feel off or a bit sick, it can be extremely helpful to take wellness pills to nip your sickness in the bud. There are many different types of wellness pills, but I prefer the DefensePlus pills by NutriBiotic and the Wellness Formula by Source Naturals.
3. Veggie overload!
Nothing is better for you when you are sick (and in general) than loading up on vegetables! An easy way to do this is make a huge pot of soup. Here is an easy recipe.
4. Vitamin C, duh
Everybody knows to up their vitamin C intake when they are sick, but you can get this vitamin from more than just oranges and Emergen-C packets. Many greens — like kale, broccoli, and brussel sprouts — pack loads of vitamin C in one serving. Additionally, the juice from one lemon can fulfill almost all of your vitamin C needs for a day.
5. Zinc
Supplementing with zinc while sick has proven to shorten colds by almost 50% and lessen the severity of symptoms. While more studies need to be done on why this occurs, we should take advantage of this accessible and cheap supplement. Here are some zinc lozenges that also contain elderberry and vitamin C.
6. Rest!
While most of us know that we should rest when we are feeling under the weather, we often don’t get enough. It can be hard to put everything on hold and just take care of yourself, but rest is undoubtedly imperative to heal from an illness. Rest can take many forms, from reading a book and drinking tea to zoning out on that new Netflix series you’ve been meaning to watch. Above all, getting the proper amount of sleep — if not more — will make all the difference in your recovery. Making the effort to get rest as soon as you feel off can have a significant effect on how badly your sickness hits.
Although getting sick is arguably one of the worst feelings, we can help our bodies fight these illnesses so that we can get back to living our lives. Health (both physical and mental) should be one of everybody’s top priorities, so you should never feel guilty or hesitate to take the time and space to recover. Try not to obsess over the fact that you aren’t functioning at your full potential and enjoy your time for rest!