How To Handle A Nosebleed With Dignity and Grace
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Student Life

How To Handle A Nosebleed With Dignity and Grace

Sometimes, you can't pick your battles.

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How To Handle A Nosebleed With Dignity and Grace
Albert Yau, Flickr

The things I miss most about freshman year are the ease of conversation initiation and all of the forced icebreakers. It's like platonic speed dating—you are able to freely ask and answer personal questions that you wouldn't ask your coworkers or academic advisors. For example, one of my favorite questions was, "What was your most embarrassing moment?"

It was my first grade Halloween, and all of the first graders were asked to wear a costume. That year, I was King Ben. I had a purple cloak and a gold felt crown.

My costume was pretty lame compared to my classmates’ – I was essentially wearing a big dress, and my crown was big and flimsy so it wouldn't stay on my head. I don’t even like purple, and my Velcro shoes didn't seem majestic enough. I knew I should have fought for the Power Rangers outfit.

In the last hour of school, all of the first graders were to gather in a parade and march around the classrooms, showing their our costumes to all of the older students around the school. Little did I know, my cloak would not be the most interesting part of my costume. Just as we were about to leave the gym, my nose started to bleed.

This was my worst nightmare. Did this mean I was going to miss out on all of the free candy? Instead of going to the nurse, I chose to join the parade. But as anyone who has ever gotten a bloody nose knows, the most frustrating part about a bloody nose is not the nose bleed itself, but everyone else’s reaction to it.

Every single time we walked into a new classroom, this happened:

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Are you all right?”

Hi, it's a nose bleed, teacher. I'm pretty small but I don’t think I’m going to bleed out. These tears are from the embarrassment.

"Make sure you keep your head back. You should pinch the bridge of your nose, or else you can't breathe. Hold the tissue like this. Don't swallow the blood. And don't let go!"

What if I pinch your nose bridge? I can breathe out of my mouth, too, you know.

“Do you need more tissues? Here are some more tissues!”

Do you not see this monstrous ball of napkins I have plastered to my face? This could easily be fixed by putting a piece of tissue up my nose... but people would think I'm weird.

The worst was when the other students named all the costumes. "Princess, witch, bunny... King of Bloody Noses, haha!”

So, that day, I learned an important lesson: the universe is not always on your side. Luckily, my mom picked me up right after the parade, and I had a nice bag of candy to replace my dignity. I made sure to throw away my costume as soon as the day was over. If I could visit my 6 year old self, I would tell myself this:

1. All nose bleeds come to an end. No matter how bad you are bleeding, always keep your head up – it will get better.

2. Take all the tissues you can get. Appreciate everyone’s concern and attention, even if you think you are fine on your own. Life is better when you can depend on other people.

3. You are not the only bleeder of noses. We all have our own moments and our own problems. Anyone who claims to be perfect is just a fool.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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