Coming to Terms with Campus Germs

At some point in everyone’s college experience, sickness strikes, leaving you feeling icky and with no energy to keep up with your rigorous workload. Being sick at college is inevitable, especially with so many people confined to a small place, so having a plan and knowing about wellness resources on campus is imperative.

Jessica’s Sick Tips for Staying Healthy!

1. Practice good hygiene! This might seem like a given, but with so many high traffic areas on campus, there are germs everywhere. Washing your hands or carrying hand sanitizer is a great way to fight the spread of germs across campus.
2. Take care of your body! Schoolwork and classes can be stressful, but taking a few extra precautions can prevent illness. Make sure you are drinking water and try to make sure you are eating a well-balanced diet full of vitamins and nutrients. Sleep is also extremely important to maintaining your health, and is unfortunately something that is very commonly neglected by college students. If a busy schedule allows, it is also beneficial to utilize the Wellness Center or the local YMCA to get some exercise. Finally, managing stress is another way to keep your body healthy, so make sure to take some time for yourself each day.
3. Dress properly during the winter months! Make sure you have an adequate jacket, hat, scarf, boots, and gloves to keep you warm. Frequent fluctuation in body temperature makes the body more susceptible to illness.
4. At the beginning of each term, make sure you have basic medications, such as Advil or Mucinex in your room, so if you do get sick, you don’t have to venture off campus to buy medication. There are some basic over-the-counter medications available in the corner store, but it is much more cost effective to buy them in bulk off campus.
5. Take an adult multi-vitamin to supplement nutrients you are not getting from your diet.

Jessica’s Sick Tips for When You’re Sick!

1. Take a sick day! Life WILL go on if you miss a day of class, and you WILL be able to make up your work. Professors at Lawrence are very understanding, and with good communication, you should have no problem making up work. Sometimes taking a day to rest and drink fluids can cut the life of an illness drastically,
2. Utilize the Wellness Center! There are nurses on staff Monday through Friday, and a doctor who visits in the morning. They can diagnose and treat minor illnesses such as sinus infections or the flu, and can also prescribe medication. Furthermore, they offer over-the-counter medication, tissues, cough drops, and gargling salt. For more information about the Health Center, visit https://www.lawrence.edu/students/wellness/health.
3. Make sure you are drinking lots of fluids and eating food that will give your body strength to fight an illness. Having food in your room to snack can be helpful, or find a friend to grab some food for you from Warch. There are also lots of food businesses that deliver food directly to residence halls.
4. If you wish to see a doctor outside of campus, there are two hospitals located close to campus, as well as several private practices and urgent cares in the area that accept various types of health insurance. If you are worried about transportation to these locations, there are many taxi services, Uber, and sometimes campus safety is even willing to drive you if they are not busy.
5. Reach out for help if you need anything, whether to friends or your residence hall director or your roommate! Lawrence is a very supportive community, and there are plenty of people on campus who would be willing to help you feel better.