With flu season peaking around this time of year, all I’ve been hearing at school are coughs, sneezes, and sniffles. Although I hoped to avoid getting sick, I haven’t been so lucky. For the past few days, I’ve been experiencing common symptoms—coughing, a sore throat, a stuffy nose, and fatigue. Unfortunately, the demands of junior year don’t pause for a simple cold, so here’s how to manage school while sick:
1) Stay hydrated
Thirst (or a dry mouth) is a common symptom when sick since our body works overtime to help us recover. While ill, we often experience increased metabolic activity, sweating, fast breathing, etc., requiring more water to keep us healthy. For this reason, ensure you drink water throughout the day, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Although the recommended daily intake of fluids is about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) for men and about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids for women, gauge how you feel. When sick, you may need to drink way more water than regularly, so keep that in mind and don’t deprive yourself of something so beneficial.
2) Eat well
This goes without saying: you should always try to eat properly. However, this advice is essential when feeling under the weather. Your immune system works tirelessly to fight off infection and, in turn, needs the necessary nutrients to keep doing so. Although a healthy day’s worth of food varies depending on lifestyle, age, body weight, gender, etc., maintain a regular balanced diet filled with vitamins, minerals, and plenty of protein to help you recover from illness faster. Additionally, it is essential to note that when you’re sick, you may feel hungrier than usual, but this is normal! When your body endures such stress, your body simply needs more energy, so don’t feel pressured to limit your food intake.
3) Give your body the rest it deserves
Pulling all-nighters may have “worked” last week, but please don’t attempt this while sick. Not only will doing so worsen your symptoms, but it may also significantly slow your recovery. Giving your body plenty of rest, even if this means more rest than usual, gives your body time to relax and fight off infection better.
4) Set realistic priorities
When I started noticing symptoms, I prepared myself for the week by setting realistic priorities. For example, as usual, I wrote down my to-do list with due dates. However, I broke it into manageable chunks with plenty of breaks. I knew I wanted to study for the SAT every day despite being sick. However, I knew that for break times (which I would probably require more often), I’d be better off doing something I enjoy, like watching an episode of Criminal Minds, browsing YouTube, or simply mindlessly playing a game. By setting these realistic priorities, I ensured I still had goals to stay accountable but wasn’t highly pressured to meet them if I was physically or mentally unable to.
5) Don’t be so hard on yourself
If you get sick, think: “I’m not in a good mindset right now, and therefore, I probably won’t achieve everything I want today.” And you know what? That’s completely normal. In fact, according to research, when sick, productivity can decrease by up to one-third or more. Therefore, don’t be so hard on yourself if you don’t achieve your ambitious goals and need more breaks. Remember, your body is trying to keep you safe, so don’t push yourself.
I hope these tips help you manage school while you’re sick. Remember: You got this, so don’t be so hard on yourself! Happy studying!
