This past week has been the first time that I've been truly sick with the cold or flu while being in college. I guess I've been pretty lucky so far. It's been a really interesting experience for me.

My obvious first tip is to rest. Rest, rest, rest, REST. Take the time to just do nothing and sit in silence because college can be so stressful and so busy that we don't always take the time for ourselves.

Stay hydrated literally all the time. The more water you drink, the more your body will push out whatever is trying to make you sick. I’m terrible at drinking as much water as I should on a day to day basis but whenever I start feeling sick, I chug that water like there's no tomorrow.

Let your roommate and friends that you are sick. I've had some really great friends over the years to offer and buy me food or Starbucks to survive the class. While I shouldn't be drinking Starbucks while I'm sick, drinking a hot caramel macchiato feels nice on my throat and makes me feel a little better for a little bit. It also makes a boring, dull class a little more bearable.

Only miss a class if you absolutely have to! My professors this semester aren’t that understanding of “sick days.” I can only miss 3-4 classes per class in a semester before I start getting points deducted from my grade and I obviously don’t want that because every point near the end of the semester counts. Do you want to know something crazy? Most of my professors won’t even excuse a doctors note so what’s the point of getting one if they won’t excuse it? #FrustrationsWhileBeingSick

Sleep. It’s like resting, but even quieter and more relaxing for you. Need I say more? Who really needs an excuse to sleep more?! Nothing is better than extra sleep when you’re not feeling well.

Try to stay caught up on your homework as much as you can. Try to keep up to date on your reading, essays, labs, homework assignments, etc. But you need to realize that if you don’t give yourself time to heal or recover, you will grow even sicker and fall even further behind, which is never worth it! So sleep for a day and then do homework later.

Call your mom. No matter how old you are or how mature you think you may be, mom knows best. Always. Parents have seen it all and know exactly what to do when you're sick. Trust me.