By Cindy Guo
The days are getting chilly. It’s super cold on the East Coast, and the weather is just weird here in California. It’s cold one day, hot the next, and the library’s AC is always blasting. Students are getting sent home, forbidden to return until they’ve recovered from whooping cough. Half of the physics students have caught pneumonia while the other half has a cold, but that’s not stopping anyone from coming to school.
In fact, I’ve been coughing for more than a month, and it’s really getting on my nerves. If you have a cold, please take a break and stay at home! If you’re sick, you can’t learn to your full potential anyway, so please stop spreading germs and hindering other students from achieving their full academic potentials. It won’t hurt you to stay at home for three days. Your teachers will understand, and if they don’t, just cough on them and get them sick (just kidding, don’t do that).
If you aren’t coughing yet, here are some tips to keep sickness away. For those who have just recovered, listen up (or read on) so you don’t get sick again:
- Wash your hands constantly with warm water and soap. I know it’s dry outside but handcream exists for a reason!
- Do not drink from other people’s cups and don’t share food with anyone
- Do not use someone else’s pillow
- Dry not to sit next to someone who’s sick. Ask to sit somewhere else. The sick person won’t be offended.
- Drink warm water
- Bring a jacket wherever you go!! If it’s hot, tie it around your waist. You can never go wrong with this step
- Exercise to release toxins, but take a hot shower afterwards and stay hydrated throughout
- Avoid cold places (if your library is blasting AC like mine, find somewhere else to stay)
- Try not to touch anyone, and if you do, go wash your hands just in case
- Get enough sleep
If you are sick, here are some tips to a speedier recovery:
- Drink warm water NOT COLD WATER
- Bring a water bottle to school–your nurse/wellness center will have warm water
- Stay away from dry foods (crackers, bread), oily/fried foods, dessert, and dairy if you have a weak stomach
- Be warm at ALL TIMES; wear a jacket PLEASE
- Sleep, sleep, sleep
- Drink water, drink water, drink water
- Honey water is your best friend
- Don’t rely too much on medicine, especially cough drops
- If you need to cough/sneeze, cover your math
Anyway, please rest up if you’re sick and be considerate of others. Keep warm during this beautiful season! Here’s to an early “Merry Christmas” and a “Happy Holidays!”
