October is upon us. With October comes the changing and falling of the leaves, perhaps the first snow and – God bless us all – pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. With October also comes the first cold season of the year.
Where I live, seemingly everyone has had a sniffle, cough or ache within the past three weeks; the common cold has been running rampant. A cold is incredibly frustrating because it appears so trivial, yet is able to completely steal the wind from your sails.
A whole genre is dedicated to avoiding catching colds, but colds inevitably are a part of life. So what follows are 11 tips for how to make it through your cold after you already have it.
1. Remember the Parable.
Some of the best advice I’ve ever received comes from my great-grandfather: colds are three days come, three days here, three days gone. In my 19 years of life, I’ve found this to be 100 percent true. Colds generally linger for nine days. The first three days aren’t too bad. By day five, you wonder if you will ever be healthy again. And then day six comes, and you feel a little better. Day seven brings a ton of improvement, and then after nine days, you are healthy again. Using this as your framework allows you to mentally prepare for the cold and then conquer it!
2. Become an Orange.
Eat at least two whole oranges each day. Drink at least a pint of orange juice. If your skin doesn’t have a tint of orange, you probably aren’t eating enough oranges.
3. Sleep Until it Hurts.
A common mentality is to ‘power through’ sickness. Continue in your normal life routine, and keep your usual full workout regimen. But then colds loiter around. Take your foot off the gas pedal of life, sleep extra for a few days and then you can go back to full throttle.
4. But Workout a Little.
Light workouts are great to break up nasal congestion. Don’t push too hard while sick, but do enough to stay active. Small workouts will also help boost your otherwise dormant energy.
5. Look on the Bright Side of Life.
It is so easy to take a nasty view of the world while dawdling in illness. Be intentional to stay positive. Life doesn’t completely suck, not all people are rude and your boss or teachers don’t hate you. Proactively love others and remain optimistic.
6. Drink Some Shots.
Of apple cider vinegar. The stuff tastes nasty and hurts going down, but kills everything in your throat. Gulping a tablespoon of this early in a cold can stifle the sickness.
7. Appreciate Health.
It’s difficult to appreciate how excellent good health is until it’s gone. Use your cold as an opportunity to cherish the vigor of full health and carry that appreciation with you into recovering.
8. Don’t See a Doctor Unless you Must.
It’s only a common cold. Don’t waste money on a doctor’s visit only for him or her to tell you to sleep and drink tea.
9. Fall Behind.
When you are sick, you are less productive. The last thing you need is to stress over falling behind. Realize it’s okay to get a little behind – you can make it up once you’ve recovered.
10. Eat Icy and Hot Food.
Drink hot tea and eat chicken noodle soup to soothe your throat. Use frosty smoothies to wash down the gunk in your system. Stay away from too solid of food and hydrate with steaming or chilly drinks.
11. It’s All Mental.
Some people claim that getting sick is all mental. If you believe that you won’t get sick, then you won’t. That is wrong – getting sick happens, and if you catch a cold, it’s not because you are psychologically weak. What does matter is your mentality throughout the cold. Stay focused on beating it, stay positive towards others and know that the end is coming.
