I am not sure if there is an experience as annoying and frustrating as getting sick. You see, I like to keep myself busy. I sometimes fill my plate up much more than necessary and sometimes, yes, I complain and stress out. However, as much as I may harp, I still enjoy being involved and active. When I fall sick, it’s a completely different matter because I physically can’t get moving after a while. There’s a whole process to getting sick during college that I am now beginning to understand and master. In honor of the time of the year where everyone seems to get sick, I am going to describe the general process of getting sick during college.

1. The Beginning

You feel the little scratch in your throat, a little sniffle here or there, but it’s no big deal. There’s no need for tissues. Maybe a slightly heavier coat or an additional scarf will do.

2. Denial

The sniffles are becoming more frequent and the scratch is becoming a little more persistent, but there is no way that you’re going to accept that you’re sick. Doing so would mean getting told by your friends to slow down. You know that there is no time to slow down because you have a long to-do list and being sick will not help your cross those items off.

3. The Hit

The sickness has come. There is no more denying it as you stuff tissue packets into your backpack and search for the medicine in your drawers. You cannot ignore the incessant coughs, the constant stuffed nose (that doesn’t seem to clear up no matter how much you sniffle), and the feeling of shivers that seem to exist only inside your body.

4. The "Death-like" State

This is the stage where you have no idea what is going on around you, but somehow you are just slugging through. It becomes inevitable that you must do the deed. You must rest. There is no other way to get around this. You may even have to skip classes and cancel some meetings. It’s scary because you know that all of the work that you are missing now will catch up to you. You may even stress about it, but there is no other choice because you feel like you can't physically move out of bed.

5. The Unspeakable

You’ve taken a long day of rest. You wake up late the next morning feeling reenergized. You get out of bed, open your mouth, and try talking when you realize that all you can manage are squeaks. Your friends give you the “oh you poor thing” look, but proceed to make fun of your voice while you sit around scowling. You find it hard to assert your voice because you literally don’t have a voice.

6. The Light

You have reached the end of the tunnel and you can finally see the light (minus a few sniffles). You can taste your food again, you’ve got your appetite back, and the tissues aren't necessary because your nose is no longer a leaky faucet. The world is bright again and you now proceed to overwhelm your friends with your newfound energy. That is, until you realize how much work you have to catch up on and then you enter a new tunnel to plow through all that you've missed.

If this is the cycle that you are in right now, my heart goes out to you. If you are exiting this cycle right now, my heart still goes out to you because I know that you may have a lot of work to catch up on. Good luck and feel better to all of my fellow sick college students!