Written by Bria Aplin
It’s been going around! The flu this year is nasty, and I speak from experience. So here’s some of my best tips for getting better as quickly as possible because no one wants to be in pain or uncomfortable:
1. Lots of liquid
One of my favourites for when I am sick is ginger beer because ginger is full of antioxidants, it’ll help you fight the battle. While there isn’t as much ginger in ginger beer compared to a proper meal with it, it’s also a liquid and the sugar usually gives me the extra energy I’m missing as well. That being said, don’t rely on soft drinks for all your hydration, plenty of water as well! Maybe try adding some lemon.
2. Don’t forget your vitamins!
Being a uni student your usual diet might be questionable. It depends on the student, but even someone with the best diet can make do with some general vitamins to bring you back up to your best.
3. Yakult drinks!
It’s been proven over the years that this dairy drink full of good gut bacteria is good for general health and even anxiety, which could be the source of some of your symptoms. So by loading up with one of these a day for a week or two, you might hold off the sickness if you catch notice of the signs early.
4. Tissue stockup
When you’re sick you don’t want to combat running out of these priceless tissues that keep your nose clear. Trust me. Also, keep a bag or a bin nearby to shove all of these used products so that your room isn’t too messy, because we all know that it doesn’t help.
5. Lip balm on the nose trick
This trick my mum taught me has saved me from a few raw noses. Tissues are great, but the constant friction on your nose can make your poor nose a little too sensitive. So get in early with this one and it’ll help provide a little protection for your face from the tissues you’re throwing at it.
6. Are you really ready to go back to class?
Pushing yourself is not going to solve anything, so do the bare minimum, or only what you can do without tiring. Especially in the aftermath of COVID-19, anyone with flu symptoms are going to be forgiven for staying at home or even encouraged to.
I myself get something when I’m really sick that I’ve taken to calling my ‘sick brain’. Simply put, it means that I don’t function very well, I get distracted, my mind won’t connect things or remember instructions, and it makes trying to do normal tasks a lot harder.
Honestly, my best advice on that is to just wait it out, do mindless hobbies or watch tv to relax and recover, and then catch up later when you’re well again.
So stay safe everyone, this year is a doozy. With Covid restrictions almost fully eased for the first time in years, we’re surely being hit with several seasons of common colds, influenza (for this I recommend paracetamol to combat the headache), and various other ailments that have been waiting and biding their time.
