It was probably two weeks into my freshman year when I began experiencing the dreaded symptoms of sickness: scratchy throat, runny nose, cough, fatigue, and so much more. If you've never experienced the unbearable pain of sickness in college (lucky you), try your best to avoid it. Otherwise, you'll go through hell as I did.
1. Getting up for your morning lectures is HARD.
When you wake up with a splitting headache, blocked nose, dry throat, and an aching body, getting up will be furthest from what you would want to do. Imagine needing to get up for an 8 a.m. class and make that five times harder: that's what it feels like to get up for a morning lecture when you're dying from sickness.
2. Coughing in class. Period.
If you've ever had an uncontrollable cough during class, you understand the struggle of having the need to hold it in after a certain number of coughs. Being worried about disturbing your fellow peers or roommate even can make coughing a really big hassle.
3. Battling a blocked nose with a whole lot of mucus.
This might have been the worst of it for me: not only is there uncontrollable coughing in classes but also the sniffling and heavy breathing from having your nostrils blocked. Classes aren't even the worst of it. Trying to sleep or be comfortable with a blocked nose is one of the most unbearable feelings in the world. Oh, and later days bring more and more build-up of mucus by the way.
4. What is talking?
When I got sick, the state of my throat progressively got worse every day. It starts with dryness with a bit of a cough, then comes the scratchiness and the pain, then comes the point where you can barely talk. This could be a struggle if you're a social person or trying to communicate for a project or assignment.
5. Socializing is hard.
When you're sick, not only are you not able to talk effectively, but you have to also follow the general rule of not spreading your sickness. This can make hanging out with other people much more tricky. You might even have friends that joke about avoiding you when you get sick, and honestly, I wouldn't blame them because being sick in college is not ideal.
To avoid getting into these situations, it might do you good to follow these tips: watch your hygiene and diet, take your vitamins, dress appropriately for the weather, sleep, exercise, and visit the clinic if you have to. And if you ever are too sick, it's okay to skip classes to benefit not just yourself, but also the people around you.
