Lexington Herald-Leader/MCTYuck! Being sick is the worst. Even if you only have a minor sore throat, being ill takes its toll.
When you feel under the weather, it can create a day that feels so long and torturous that you want to just crawl under the covers immediately.
First starts the sore throat then continuing on to a headache and temperature. Once the chills kick in, you know you are in for a not-so-fun ride.
In my opinion, nausea is the most unpleasant feeling. I’d rather have a sore throat and a headache then feel queasy.
The empty seats in classrooms are not a rare sight. The flu, strep throat or even the common cold can be dreadful. Hearing of someone going home is not rare right now for the illnesses are so bad this time of year that it is highly contagious.
In our surrounding area and particularly at Villanova University a virus which I had never heard of was spread to the point of unbelief.
Students infected with the virus at our neighboring college were either sent home or sometimes driven to the hospital for flu-like symptoms such as stomach pain, dehydration and even “spells of unconsciousness.”
So how can we avoid getting sick when highly contagious viruses like these or even more mild illnesses resembling the common cold are spreading around the housing of colleges and the local area?
We can’t exactly put ourselves into isolation in order to avoid getting sick! I live off campus so it is a little easier to avoid the coughs in closed rooms and dormitory showers, but the basics of staying healthy are all the same.
Hand sanitizer is my new best friend! I got one of the miniature bottles of Purell that has the rubber key chain attached to it. I keep them on my keys and every time I leave a public place and am unable to wash my hands I just put a dab on my hands and rub it in. Hey, it’s better than nothing!
As our parents always told us, washing our hands is very important. Majority of germs are from hands and mouths.
Think about this: it is almost a guarantee that not everyone washes their hands or at least not enough to keep them clean. People use their hands for virtually everything including picking things off the ground, flushing toilets and coughing.
As an everyday example, when you open a door to a building you are not only touching the doorknob or handle, but you are also touching the germs that were on the hands of the people who opened the door before you.
Keeping my immune system up is also something that I try to do in order to help prevent illness.Ways I do this is to exercise regularly, drink a lot of water, eat healthy and stay hydrated. In my opinion, your body can’t stay strong enough to fight an illness if it is not healthy to begin with!
This is the prime time of year where bodies need strength to fight infection. We should all do our bodies a favor and take care of it. After all, you only have one!
