If you have been feeling like death lately, do not panic because you are not alone. Lately, “the flu” has
been going around campus and infecting people everywhere. I know this firsthand because I, too, was
infected when one of my roommates spread it unknowingly in the entire apartment. No, that was not
cool.

As my nose started to get blocked up and my throat felt like it was on fire, it was definitely not easy
coping with my everyday routine because all I wanted to do was either cut my nose off or get a new
face. Although I did not do that, I did find out about certain things that a broke college student could
do in order to cope with the sickness:

1. Do not stay indoors; go out if you can.

This may sound strange because most people would advise you to stay indoors and sleep instead. But
I think the better solution is to get out of your congested apartment and breathe in that fresh air. Do
not get cooped up inside, but instead go out and maybe even exercise a little if your mind and body
allows you to. It will do you good to get some movement in your body to get the adrenaline flowing
again.

2. “Borrow” medicine from your roommates.

It’s actually better than it sounds, and after all, this is for the broke college student. If you know your
roommates are as sick as you are, they’ll probably already have medicine set aside so just poke them
a little and see if they’ll spare you some. That’ll save you some money from actually buying medicine
that you probably won’t need if you rarely get sick like me.

3. Do not start binging!

Just because you’re stuck in bed and can’t do anything, it does not give you an excuse to start eating
excessively. Instead, this is a great opportunity to perhaps change your diet for the better. There must
be a reason that you’re sick and others aren’t. Maybe cut down on those fatty foods and alcohol and
eat more greens and fruits. And always remember that we eat to live, not live to eat.

4. Time to get some love.

This may be a cheap method (pun intended) but the fact is, people sympathize with sick people, so it’s
a good opportunity, if you’re a guy or girl, to get some sympathy love from that significant other or
from someone you’re interested in. Nothing says “Please care for me” more than telling them about
your condition and making it look worse than it actually is.

In fact, there really isn’t much you can do when you get sick. However, it’s a great opportunity for you
to take a break from school if you’ve been stressed out lately and just catch up on some sleep. I know
I could use a nice, deep, long… Achoo!

[email protected]