Lots of people from all over the country are all moving to one place and bringing all of their germs with them, which means Freshers Flu is about to begin. As something that can't really be avoided because of the mass migration and likeliness of you picking up something you've never had before, it's important to think about how you can ease the symptoms. When I got sick before uni my mum would take care of me, but when you're living alone there's nobody there to nurse you back to health but yourself! Freshers Flu is particularly deadly because it's not just a cold, instead it's a cold AND a hangover all in one, so you feel VERY sorry for yourself. Follow some of these tips if you find yourself feeling under the weather!
1. Keep Hydrated. Bottled water, Lucozade Sport and dilute juice are good for both a hangover and an illness. You need to re-hydrate your body and flush out all of the bad stuff. Warm Ribena or a mug of Lemsip are also really good for colds and flu's.
2. Eat good food. The temptation to order take-out is so real when you're hanging and feeling under the weather, but it's not going to make you feel better. Have soups for lunch, ice-creams as snacks, and something warm and tasty for your tea with lots of vegetables. If you don't like veg, have fruit instead as part of your breakfast. Just make sure you're giving your body the good stuff.
3. Take pain killers. Ibuprofen and paracetamol are your secret weapons, use them. If you feel rubbish when you wake up, take some pain killers and I guarantee that you'll feel a lot better as the day goes on. Just avoid pain killers up to four hours before drinking alcohol, it's not great to mix the two!
4. Keep your living space clean and cosy. Clean your bedroom. It's only the first or second week, it can't be that much of a tip already! Pick up your clothes, do your washing, have a dust and a hoover - it's really not that hard and a clean space is a healthy space! Greasy pizza boxes WILL go mouldy, so put them in the recycling bin! Use the extractor fan in your bathroom to avoid mould there too and sweep up in the kitchen/ wipe stains away that you may make while cooking! Getting into a nice clean bed always makes me feel better, so make your bed once you're up and awake, then at bedtime you can switch your fairy-lights on, hop in and enjoy some evening TV feeling snug as a bug in a rug.
5. Get some sleep. Napping isn't just for children, neither is a 9pm bedtime, not anymore. Obviously during Freshers Week it's hard to go to bed early, but sleep in if you can - or even sleep between welcome talks and lectures - and try to get your eight hours somehow! Once Freshers is over you can have earlier nights, and you really should if you want to take proper care of yourself, even if it's not every night!
6. Avoid smoking. Yeah everyone-else might be doing it, but that doesn't mean that you have to, and if you don't then it's seriously going to help your sore throat. Though the temptation might be there, particularly on a night out, if you aren't addicted then put the cig down.
7. Get yourself some soothers. Realistically, cough sweets probably don't do that much for your sore throat... but they taste good and definitely have a placebo effect! Soothers, Strepsils and Lockets are sold in supermarkets, places like Wilkos, corner shops etc. and are great to have on hand.
8. Don't mong about! Although it might feel like it, you're not going to die. You haven't got the plague, it's not even really flu to be honest, more of a very bad cold! So, there's no need to lay about feeling sorry for yourself. If anything, that will probably make you feel worse! Get up, get a shower and get some fresh air! Don't push yourself too hard but don't waste your days away either, sometimes you need a distraction to feel a bit better, and if you lay in a bed full of snotty tissues then can you really expect to get well soon!?
9. Use hand sanitizer. This will prevent you contracting further illnesses. I spent the majority of first year with a sore throat, chesty cough and snotty nose, because as soon as I was cured of one illness, the next would appear! Using hand sanitizer is a great way to avoid catching germs!
10. Take care of your mental health! You're probably feeling very vulnerable and a little uneasy in your new city, make sure you're doing whatever it is that keeps your sanity at bay. Don't do something on a night out if you're going to regret it the next day, a hangover can really mess with your head and you can feel paranoid even when you haven't done anything stupid! You don't want to spend the day fighting a cold, a hangover AND feeling crap because you're worried you got with someone you shouldn't have or annoyed some of your new friends. If you're spending a lot of time on your own and it's getting you down, reach out and try to go sit with someone in their room, just to have some company! On the other hand, if you're overwhelmed and feel surrounded, go chill out by yourself for a bit. If your state of mind is a positive one then you'll feel a lot better overall, no matter how bad the cold symptoms are!
Thank you for reading! If you'd like to subscribe then scroll right to the bottom of the page, and if you'd like to contact me then you can do so via the About page. Freshers Flu is a difficult one, everyone gets it, but if you follow some of these tips then hopefully you'll be able to rid yourself of it asap! Just remember that there's nobody else around to take care of you now, that responsibility lies with you and it's an important one! I hope you feel better very soon!