Sometimes you stand out in the cold for a few minutes too long and get that "I'm gonna get sick" vibe. Sometimes you do and other times you'll luck out and stay healthy. Unfortunately for me, I did get sick this week, and realized how much worse it is now that I'm in college. These are the stages we go through when we get a cold.

Stage 1: The Prologue

Everything is swell: you're going to class, doing homework, napping, etc. Maybe you forget your scarf or go outside with wet hair once but for the most part, you're just chilling. Nothing to worry about.

Stage 2: Suspicion

Okay, so you're sneezing and coughing a little. No biggie...probably. Something seems a bit off but nothing too unusual or concerning has happened so you can just keep living your life.

Stage 3: Realization

Eventually, it'll click that you're sick. Having a cold means your body is basically glitching then having to fight itself to get better, so it'd be hard not to notice. I tend to rush through this stage and into the next one in just a few minutes.

Stage 4: Denial

Nothing like denial to protect you from your problems, right? Sometimes it's just easiest to pretend you're fine and hope it doesn't get so bad that you have to actually acknowledge your sickness. Well it seems easiest, but you can't run from it forever sadly.

Stage 5: Devastation

Eventually, you can't ignore it anymore. You're sick, and being sick sucks so life sucks for a while. It's weird thinking about the fact that being in college means you're an adult and have no one to take care of you. Now is the perfect time to ignore homework and binge watch something on Netflix while wrapped in a blanket and eating junk food. It's also appropriate to go to the health center, but I totally understand the desire to just lay around and feel sorry for yourself.

Stage 6: Acceptance

Ah, finally you embrace being sick and start trying to get better. Stay hydrated, take medicine if you can, and make sure to eat real food because colds can leave you worn out and tired even as they're going away.

Stage 7: Recovery

It can take a couple days until you're feeling 100 percent again and then one morning you wake up with clear sinuses and a sense of optimism. It's like you're a new person. Now you can feel free to go back out into the world and socialize without being gross or contagious! Congrats and have fun catching up on homework!