Getting sick while at school is not fun but it's bound to happen. You’re not around your parents who have taken care of you since birth. Not to mention that the germs on college campuses are much different than ones your body may already be immune to so it is really important to take care of yourself. Even with that great advice, I always get sick. Here I am, back on campus for a little over two weeks and I’m sick as can be.

Denial

I always attribute the initial tickle I usually feel in the back of my throat to other things. For me I thought it was just caused by the AC unit I sleep under. But it is the first sign of sickness, even if you don’t process that it means sickness.

Anger

Realizing that somewhere over the past few days that you screwed up. Whether you shared a drink with someone or touched a door handle in your classroom the anger consumes you because now you’re stuck like this for who knows how long.

Bargaining

You start making promises to higher powers that you’ll go to class, shower, or even put real pants on just as long you don’t get more sick. You also say that you’ll never do the thing that got you sick again but let’s be honest, you probably got sick at a party and you going out isn’t stopping anytime soon.

Depression

Thinking about what will happen if you go to class, or anywhere out of your room, puts you in a state of mental distress. You begin to think “if I go to class my nose is just going to run the whole time and people are going to think I'm disgusting, I'd rather just stay in bed and be gross here.” You cease to see the light at the end of the tunnel and believe you're going to be sick for the rest of your life.

Acceptance

Once you’ve accepted that you’re sick you start to notice all the other people around you who are also coughing and sniffling in class. You realize you are part of a bigger picture. So hand over the NyQuil and tissues and get Netflix going.