Whether it be the flu, food poisoning, or something else - every college kid is bound to get sick at school. Since I just experienced my first time sick away from home (a.k.a away from my mom), I figured I’d share what stages college kids go through while sick at school.

1. Shock And Denial

“I’m not sick. I’m not sick.” When getting sick away from home you will go through denial because you know if you truly are sick that your only bathroom is a communal one, you don’t have your regular bed to lie in and worst of all, your mom is not here.

2. Pain And Sadness

The pain part is pretty self-explanatory. As you are laying in your bed or on the bathroom floor you’ll experience a lot of pain. Not only will you feel the sick pain but also the alone pain of your mom not being there to do everything for you. You have wondered how it is even possible to get this sick and have probably googled your sickness, which is never a good idea. You have also retraced all your steps and tried to figure out where you got sick or who to blame. At this stage, you have probably called your mom about 5 times.

3. Anger And Bargaining

This stage normally comes around hour 8-10 when you have really had enough. You are now known as the “sick girl” on the floor that everyone keeps their distance from. You can’t eat anything without getting nausea and at this point you would rather go to class than be sick another minute. You are making deals with God asking him to make you better. At this stage, you are probably on the phone with your mom more than you aren’t.

4. Depression And Reflection

You have brought your fuzzy blankets with you to the bathroom and have claimed your own stall. Your friends are delivering you Gatorade and crackers by the hour and getting all your notes from class. At this stage, you are sending “SOS” texts with every sick emoji you can find.

5. The Upward Turn

You woke up and felt a little better. You know things are getting better but still aren’t out of the woods yet. Did you know subway will make your toast for $1.30? At this stage, you are making very serious decisions on what and what not to eat.

6. Turned Too Fast

You woke up the next day feeling nausea again. You are back to your nonfood diet. You thought you were feeling better than you were when you went to bed? Check in with mom, “Why am I not better?” At this stage, you are checking in with your mom before eating or drinking anything.

7. You Are Better

Finally, you are back to normal. You can eat regular foods and drink fluids other than water and Gatorade. You are thankful to be back in class and you now know every single precaution to take on how to not get sick from all the google searches.

In the end, being sick at school teaches you a lot. Mainly, how to survive when you are that sick on your own but also who your closest friends are. The friends that will sit with you while you’re sick and not run the other way, these are the friends to keep around. Lastly, how every college kid still needs their mom. Lastly, no matter how “mature” we are, every college kids needs their mom when they are sick.