What to Do When You're Sick at School

Hey everyone!

Unfortunately, this post is inspired my own experiences this weekend. As of right now, I've been in bed for over 24 hours with a fever & a couple other things... pleasant, right?

Living with so many people around you all the time, germs are bound to spread. Maybe it's a no-brainer, but here are a few tips to follow when you find yourself sick at college...



1. REST. It's definitely ok to miss class if you're feeling lousy, just let your professor know ahead of time and get a note/email from health services..then it will be an excused absence! If you don't let yourself rest, you'll get even more run down and won't allow your body to fight the illness.

2. Drink lots of fluids (water!) & make sure to EAT something. Alright, I'll admit, I absolutely refused to do the latter until about an hour ago. When you lose your appetite, nothing feels worse than trying to force feed yourself. Buy hey, it really is necessary to eat/drink something healthy while you're sick.

3. If it's something that over the counter medicines can tackle, then by all means, take DayQuil or ibuprofen, etc! If not...

4. Go to health services. They are able to prescribe medications that you can't just go pick up. Also, it's conveniently located right in the quad, so it's relatively close to everyone on campus. Oh, and they also give you ice pops, yum!

5. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Living in a dorm means there are plenty of friends around that would be more than willing to go buy you a drink from the vending machine if you can't get up without feeling faint.

6. Make sure to check in with your professors after missing class. They'll either catch you up themselves or tell you to ask a classmate to get you all of the work that you missed. Either way, this is very important! No one wants to fall behind because of an illness.


-Juliana