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sick and tired of being sickMay 23 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Don't drink too much. I'm halfway through my second year of university. Last year I was staying at a hall of residence with 200 others, and this year I'm living in a freezing cold, scummy filthy flat with four slobs in the depths of the snowy South. I have had more than my share of colds, flu, tonsilitis, sinusitis...so I'd like to pass on a bit of advice that I think has helped me stay healthy and happy. Preventative University (or college) can be a pretty stressful time for young people coming straight from high school and possibly living away from home for the first time. The unfamiliarity of your new home, the worries over new friends, studies, timetables, homesickness and gross food can be overwhelming. I noticed a reasonable percentage of my hall last year sick...of course once someone got it everyone got it and that was the end of it. Keeping yourself fit and healthy in the beginning is one of the most important things. Get a flu shot - it should be cheap or even free through your student health service. Don't share cutlery and drink bottles, and wrap up warmly when you go outside! Get regular sleep, make a bedtime (remember them?) and try to stick to it so you aren't too tired to go to lectures. Exercise!! It's absolutely vital. Walk to your classes, go for jogs, swim, bike, practice yoga, pull the wings off flies, just keep yourself active in any way possible. When I exercise regularly I feel 100 times better than when I'm in a fitness slump. Being in good shape physically helps to ward off those infections. Try to be sensible with alcohol as the old four-day alcohol binge - while possessing many merits of its own - can cause a bit of liver inflammation that also means your body can't wring out its waste as well as it should. And it's just not good for you. Don't smoke. Eat well. Don't fall back on the noodles and chocolate, make sure you get your fruit and veges for the day and lots of them too. Vitamin supplements may help if you feel that your diet is lacking...vitamin C tablets, echinacea, buccalin berta - get your mum to send them down! Oh no. You're sick. I'm sorry mate! Remember your mum's advice. Stay in bed, drink plenty of fluids - I'm talking 3 litres of water a day - try to eat well, keep warm and get your wonderful friends to keep you company and nurse you. If you have an evil roommate who is making things worse, find out if it's possible to relocate for a few days to ensure your full recovery. A doctor's opinion may help you here, especially if you can fob off your cold as a contagious tropical disease. Even though you feel like the bottom of a swamp, this may be a good time to catch up on some uni work, letters home, Epinions articles...think how much better you'll feel after it's done! If you have friends in the same class, get them to copy their lecture notes for you so you can at least read over them and familiarise yourself with the material. Have study sessions in your bedroom. Catch up on readings. Email your lecturers and tutors, explain you're crook, and ask for an overview of the lessons you've missed, and rely on their goodwill in extensions. At least they'll know you're keen to learn and haven't disappeared off the face of the earth. Obtain a medical certificate for late assessments. Help from Mum and Dad One thing the parents out there can do that always seemed to make me feel better - send mail! Show you care in a loving and useful (but still relatively unobtrusive) way. I always appreciated it when my mum sent me a box with biscuits, cold medication, some luxurious bubble bath or shampoo, and maybe something nice that was a bit expensive for me to buy myself - like aloe vera tissues instead of the horrible cheap supermarket ones, or a big box of fruit. I come from the official Kiwifruit Capital of the world so guess what I was munching my way through all winter! Care packages really makes you feel better - someone out there is thinking of you. However, don't fill it up with junk food and two minute noodles. When they are sick your son/daughter needs good nutritious food rather than comforting empty calories. Maybe some healthy canned chicken soup - I'm not sure what is available in the States but over here we have a lovely canned soup that isn't packed full of salt and additives and other useless stuff. Keep them healthy! Dried and tinned fruit is good. However, what I didn't appreciate as much was frantic calls from my mother that got me out of bed and shivering into the hall, only to listen to how i should be taking better care of myself and I was working too hard... I already knew that, Mum! That sounds awful, and it was nice to know she cared but it didn't make me feel any better to know I was worrying my parents! Anyway, university is a time for relative freedom and independence. (Yes, I'm "independent" now but I still don't want to pay for my own aloe vera tissues!) Naturally, think of your own daughters and sons' individual reactions, but that was my experience and several of my frustrated friends' as well, for what it's worth. Above all, try to stay upbeat. Being mentally healthy is as important as staying physically healthy. Try to become one of those Organised People who do their assignments early. After two years I am unfortunately still trying, but it gets easier with practice. Staying on top of your schoolwork will mean the occasional sickness won't cause more than a ripple in your academic routine. But ensure you take time out to have fun as well, and enjoy some of the best years of your life!  |
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