It’s that time of year again!You’ve settled into your new place, gotten a good look around the campus, and Welcome Week has just breezed by. You’re so busy preparing for that first lecture, you may not have heard of Freshers’ Flu. It’ll have been a buzzword by the end of this term. Freshers’ Flu hits many students particularly hard because this is their first time getting truly ill away from home. But, there’s no need to be bedridden for the next month. Read on for 10 ways to cope with Freshers’ Flu!
Go and see a doctor at your campus health centre as soon as you realize you’ve become ill. Don’t wait until you’re too ill to actually get to the health centre. And speaking with friends who are studying medicine, nursing, or pharmacy is not a substitute for this.
This may seem obvious, but with the flu comes plenty of symptoms that will make you feel like never getting out of bed again. You are in charge of your own health care, so make the decision to care for yourself properly.
While you have the flu, it’s incredibly important to get lots of rest. While you’re resting you may miss a couple of lectures and fun opportunities on campus, but this isn’t the end of the world. Do something to cheer yourself up, even if it’s watching that one movie for the 1035th time.
I mentioned earlier that students studying health sciences are not an adequate substitute for actual health care employees. Heads up: neither are you. Don’t buy something over the counter because you have the vague memory of it helping out last time you were ill. Go in to your health centre or local pharmacy and ask some questions, it won’t hurt.
You can count on the Freshers’ Flu to bring around a sore throat. Last time I had a sore throat, sans flu, I just used all of my leftover candy canes as lozenges. I loved it, but they are pretty seasonal. Lozenges are very easy to find, but again, some of them do have medication to help with other symptoms. Ask your pharmacist if you’re unsure about what you’re buying.
Use as much hot water as you can while being considerate of your other flatmates. This should give you some relief from the congestion, chills, and body aches.
This could have gone under fluids, but I felt that it deserved a special mention. Lemon, honey, and hot water are an absolutely wonderful combination that will have you feeling a bit more like yourself.
What’s the point of attending a lecture when you’re dead on your feet and half asleep? Don’t push yourself the same way you would if you were healthy. Your body does everything for you, so give it some respect and let it rest when it needs to.
Drink warm things. Eat warm things. Wear warm things. Finally, an excuse to use those extra throw blankets that everyone said were impractical!
When you’re ready, meet with someone who can fill you in on what your professor spoke about that isn’t in your booklet. Ask a classmate to record the lectures you’re missing if they aren’t available to you online. Give yourself some space to catch up.
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