Author: jmr539

It is officially flu season in Texas and it seems like every corner you turn someone else tests positive. Why don’t we talk about the flu, how it is spread, symptoms, medications to help, places to go for testing, and recovery? As college kids, we find ourselves out in the world living while mom and dad are back home. Therefore, we are in charge of taking care of ourselves and that includes when we get… sick.

The flu, that pesky little three-lettered word packs quite the punch to it. As we get back to a sense of normalcy with covid our immune systems are getting quite the flu shock. The flu is a viral infection that attacks our lungs, nose, and throat and the symptoms include headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, runny nose, coughing, etc. Most people who get the flu also find themselves with a fever as well. While the flu is a very common infection and we hear a lot about it all of the time, that doesn’t mean we can treat it as if it is not dangerous. If we do not properly medicate and care for our bodies while were sick, the flu can become a much larger problem with much greater risks. One of the main ways to know if you have come down with the flu is the way the infection presents itself. The flu slams your body at one time. Meaning, you could be perfectly fine at 7:00 am, but by 9:00 am you could be coughing, sneezing, and the body aches could be in full effect. If you feel like you may have the flu and would like to get tested San Marcos has many different urgent care clinics that you can go to, but be aware that without insurance you could find yourself paying a very costly copay for your visit.

Being college students, we wander around campus all day long, jogging up staircases, and hopping the bus. When we get caught up in the speed of things we don’t think about all of the surfaces we’re touching. The flu is spread through droplets we expel when we cough, sneeze or talk. Ideally, if you have the flu wearing a face mask, as we do for covid, is the most beneficial way to prevent the spread of droplets. Carrying hand sanitizer in your backpack or purse is a need after you get off of the bus, or when you arrive at class. Taking care of your immune system is just as important as it was when the pandemic first began, so remember to be cautious and considerate towards others as we don’t all function the same. For this reason, I highly encourage students to get tested if they feel their symptoms are those of the flu. Now, let’s talk about school. Absences are dangerous in college, you are 100% responsible for all of your actions, including getting your own note and registering it with the school. If you go get that official test, be sure to convey it to your professors. Being sick is not an excuse to let those grades slip!

 

You will want to go get some medicine because medicating it from the start will make the entire thing much easier. Personally, I use Vick’s Dayquill and Nyquil liquid gels, which you can purchase at any grocery store or pharmacy. As an asthmatic, I develop a nasty cough just about any time I get sick, so Delsum cough suppressant is a total lifesaver. Cough drops are always a necessity for me as well. Be very observant of the directions, take the proper dosage, and follow all directions! I know you hear it everywhere but you need to drink your water. Consistently taking fluids such as water, Gatorade, and juices help to break down all of that phlegm. Dealing with body aches is usually the most painful part of the flu. Taking Motrin will help with the body aches, but always make sure to check that you are able to take it with whatever medications you are already taking.

Personally, this is the first time I have gotten genuinely sick while away from my parents as a student.  I can’t lie, I really did not think it would be this difficult. We grow up knowing that when you feel sick, you tell your parents who can then call the doctor and get you all the different medicines you need. Then they ship you to college and suddenly you have to be the one to take yourself to the doctor, you have to go to the store and find the medicine, and you begin to realize that we are now the adults here. The goal was to help inform readers today so that when you are in that situation you are fully prepared.  Please please keep yourself safe and healthy!

These days the majority of students find themselves trying to juggle the responsibility of being not only full-time students but also part-time workers to provide for themselves. On top of all of that, we are expected to and want to experience the social aspect of college too.  It may seem absolutly impossible to be in so many places at one time, which is why I wanted to share just a few of the things, i feel keep my cool, calm, and collected throughout my hectic weeks.

Today, I wanted to share a few things I do throughout the weeks to avoid getting burnt out quickly.

One of the main things I do to help prepare for my week is resetting. I know everybody says “Sunday reset,” but as someone who works every Saturday and Sunday, I find it better to do my reset on Monday. The key part of my weekly reset is to clean my room. Getting all of the laundry done, making your bed, and putting everything back where it belongs makes me feel so much more peaceful. I know everyone has different schedules and my process may not fit yours, but as humans, we need to find a few hours in each day to breathe.  Mondays usually include a coffee run for me as well. Some of my favorite coffee spots in San Marcos are:

• Joe’s Coffee House
• Summer Moon
• Mochas ad Javas
• Lampost

Another thing I find beneficial for preventing burn out is taking a few hours in the gym each week. I find starting my day with a run or some yoga just helps to kickstart my day. Working out is a very good stress relief and it is something er csn do absolutly anywhere. No one needs a state of the art gym to get active everyday. Youtuube is filled witht imed workouts that do not require any equipament and can be done from the comfort of your bed room floor. Getting outside and going for a nice 30 minute to hour long walk is also very relaxing in the morning. If you live in an apartment complex, you may have acces to a gym. Utilizing the gyms some of these complexs have is so covienient,

Another way to unwind from your day is to treat yourself to a little jight time spa routine. Having a relaxing end- of- day skin care routine can be soemthing you look forward to every night. This gives you a few minutes of reserved time at the end of your day to papmper yousefl, even if it is only for a couple of minutes.

Another thing I try to do two or three times a week is cook myself dinner. No, there is not need to go all out and cook yourself a five star meal, but someting as simple as a pre made cesar salad from H-E-B can be a great dinner. My roomates and I find outselves making quick and easy chicken cesear salads multiple times a week by air- frying chicken nuggets and chopping them up over a ceaser salad.

Hanging out with the people you like is super important as a college kid. You have to find a few hours during the week to unwind and just enjoy some conversation with your friends. If you are close with your roommates, a roommate movie nigh could be just what you are your friends need. You can call a few friends and just take a few hours to talk and catch up. My roommates and I find ourselves curling up on the couch at least once a day. Somedays we watch movies and chat, and other days we just catch up for a few minutes in between the next obligation we are headed to. Having some time to forget about the crazy dayto day of college is absolutly 100% necesary to making it through college. As students, I think we find outselves so caught up in due dates, and chapter quizzes that we forget we are also here to have a little bit of fun. Now, fun within limits of course. Getting stuck in the whirlwind of going out is also a very serious problem. You don’t want to over do it so much it messes with your grades, but you need to enough so you can stop worrying about all of the things you need to do weighing on you.

I know the words unwind and relax were heavily used today but we need to understand that these are things we need to do to keep out mental health afloat. College causes so much anxiety these days you truly owe it to yourself.

I hope that these few tips I was able to give you can help you all to release some stress, and remmeber that at the end of the day, you are doing your absolute best and that is all that matters.