By now, you all have probably come into contact with someone who had the flu or cold this month, and you might just have caught it yourself! However, the good news is that if you haven’t caught it yet, then there are plenty of ways to keep your healthy streak going by following these simple tips:
First and foremost, BE WARY OF YOUR HANDS. Keep them clean by washing them as often as you can and keep them away from your face! I can’t stress this enough. Touching handle bars in the bus, door knobs, chairs, tables, and even other people hands, spread germs like crazy at this time of the year. If you really don’t have access to a washroom near you then a good idea is to keep wet wipes, which are called “hand sanitizing wipes” or just a small hand sanitizer gel in your purse/bag, so you can always clean your hands whenever and wherever!
Secondly, I know that this tip might be a bit harder to follow for some people with exams, interviews, and what not going on in our student lives, but remember to DESTRESS. Stress can actually cause your immune system to weaken which will make it harder to fight off germs, hence making you more likely to get sick. By making sure that you’re getting enough sleep, exercising, sparing time for yourself, and trying to follow your usual routine to the best of your capability, you will feel a lot better! Your body’s stress level will decrease and your immune system will thank you for it!
Third, make sure to EAT WELL by eating REAL FOOD. Many people often like to say that “You are what you eat”, and from my own experience, I find that to be quite true. During the busy times of the year, I often find myself craving good food from outside, but thankfully I live with my parents, so I don’t have to worry about that. However, that’s not the case for most students, and they do find themselves buying takeout more often, drinking an infinite amount of coffee, or living off prepackaged meals like ramen. Though, to make sure you don’t get sick, you absolutely need to be eating healthy as you need your vitamins, protein, fibre, etc. An easy way to do this is simply by buying a lot of fruits and vegetables which don’t need too much taking care off. In addition to this, you can get much of your protein from nuts, which are actually perfect as a snack, so keep a small bag of almonds, peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, etc. In addition to being great for your health, they will keep your energy level up, (especially dates, my fav)!
One more thing that I find to be personally important at this time of year is to GET SOME FRESH AIR. Now, you might say that I am a bit crazy for even suggesting this with the weather and all, but believe me, your body needs that fresh air when you’re stuck indoors for far too long studying, browsing the internet, etc. However, do bundle up appropriately for the weather as I would not recommend freezing yourself outside just to get fresh air which would clearly backfire.
Lastly, if you feel like you do need to see the doctor because you’ve caught the flu, then do it ASAP, as it might just lower the chances of it worsening even more!
That’s all for now and may the force be with us all this flu season! ;)