College is a time for self-discovery, trying new things, and of course getting your very first taste of independence. It's all fun and games until, inevitably, cold and flu season rolls around; suddenly, everyone in your dorm seems to be falling ill and you know it's only a matter of time until you're infected. My first time being sick in college has really taught me a lot about the struggles of adulting while feeling dead inside. Here is a list with just a few of the reasons why college life and illnesses don't mix.
1. You're always tired
Behind any great person is a good night's rest. Unfortunately, no matter how much time you spend snuggled up in bed, your body doesn't seem to notice. Whether you get ten hours of sleep or two, staying awake during lectures is impossible. And don't even get me started on finding the willpower to do homework or study. You're left hoping that you have no major assignments due because who can do their best work with a runny nose and a fever?
2. You live in fear of infecting your friends and roommate(s)
If your friends are anything like mine, they do their best to take care of you. So, when you inevitably get them sick, you feel awful about it. After apologizing profusely, you return the favor, and then someone else gets sick. It's a vicious, inescapable cycle. So everyone just has to chug their Emergen-C and hope for the best.
3. You have to go to the doctor alone
My first experience at the doctor's office without my mom answering all of the routine questions was downright weird. When's my birthday? I don't know, my mom is the one that does all the talking. I know that I probably should've been going to the doctor's alone long before college, but it's not somewhere that I want to be by myself if I can help it.
4. Need food? You're going to have to leave your room for it
Like any wise person, I have a lot of snacks in my room. For a full meal, though, I have to actually leave the safety of my dorm and venture out to the caf. I think I spent more time in this past week contemplating whether I wanted to get out of bed for food than I did actually eating. Either way, it made me miss having someone around to bring me soup.5. You always seem to lack the medicine you actually need
When I got sick, I seemed to be out of luck with medicine. Pepto-Bismol and Midol? Sure, I have plenty of that. But, of course, cold and flu medicine was another story. Walking a mile to the local drug store while coughing profusely made me realize that my parents were really onto something by having enough medicine in our house to stock a CVS.
