When you're a kid, getting sick can be one of the best times of the school year. You get to stay home and watch cartoons, your mom dotes on you, and you get to sleep all day. Yeah coughing and having a fever isn't that great, but having someone to take care of you makes it all better. However, when you get to college it's all different. When you're sick, you're left to take care of yourself. You have to make your own soup and tea. You actually have to get out of bed. Also, your professors don't care how sick you are, they expect you to be in class or else you'll miss out on a lot. Same goes for work. You can miss maybe a day when you're contagious, but after that you have to heavily medicate yourself, and drag yourself to work.
So how do you survive being sick in college? Luckily, it is possible. So here are a few tips for taking care of yourself and feeling better when you're sick in college.
1. Honey
I can't even begin to express how amazing honey is for helping with a sore throat or bad cough. It helps coat your throat, while also being delicious. Put honey in your tea, or go to the store and stock up on honey sticks. You'll be surprised by how much better you feel after simply adding some honey into your life.
2. Cough Drops
Definitely stock up on cough drops. When you do have to go to class, you'll be thankful for them as you won't be disrupting the professor by coughing all the time. They also help your throat feel better, and they taste good. You can buy giant bags at literally any store.
3. Instant Soup
My school's doctor give these out in cold care kits, but I believe you can find them in stores too. Instant soup packets are an easy way to have the chicken noodle soup your mom used to make, while not breaking the bank, or requiring much cooking ability. Just put the packet contents in a mug, pour in some hot water, stir and you're done! It tastes really good too.
4. Caffeinated Tea
Coffee doesn't tend to sound good when you're sick, but if you still have to go that 8am class, you're going to need some caffeine. Try some Earl Grey or English Breakfast Tea. It'll help your throat and your cough, while also keeping you awake enough to survive class. If you want a little less caffeine, Green Tea is a great option too. Celestial Seasoning's sells some Honey Lemon Green Tea that I love.
5. Popsicles
My fiancee introduced me to this one, as I had never considered it before, but popsicles are miracles when your throat is soar and you don't have much of an appetite. Plus, every store sells a huge variety, so you're guaranteed to find some that you love.
Summer will be here soon and the cold/flu season will end, but for now, hopefully these tips will help you survive being sick in college.
