It’s that time of year again. You know, the one filled with a cacophony of sniffling and coughing. The weather begins to drop (just to be warm again the next day) and you begin to feel unwell. The “Monmouth Plague” has struck again.
I am the “Monmouth Plague’s” #1 fan, I get sick constantly. This semester alone I have already been sick four times. I have the worst allergies, the changing of the seasons and the temperature fluctuations wreak havoc on my body.
I frequently get really stuffy and have severe throat and ear pain. This is what the health center loves to call a cold (after testing me for strep for the 10th time even though I had my tonsils removed 11 years ago). Sadly, the common cold cannot be treated simply with a round of antibiotics, the body just has to fight it on its own. So, the best way to combat a cold is to prevent it before it happens.
Every time I get sick I make it my mission to find the best ways to prevent getting sick again. I have found that to deter myself from getting sick I must get enough rest each night, take a form of allergy medications daily, reduce stress, and have a healthy lifestyle.
I recently got sick this week after staying up too late over the weekend. Your body needs a good night’s rest in order for your immune system to work properly. So, turn off the Netflix, put down that phone and get some rest; preferably nine hours or more.
The weekend, for us college students, is a time to relax and catch up on those Z’s. Your body will thank you and you will in return do better in classes and feel better throughout the day.
This contributor to sickness is no stranger to college students. Stress, the true plague to the student body. The piles of homework, papers, and exams overwhelms students and causes massive amounts of stress (a college student’s “best friend”).
Frantically finishing assignments or cramming for exams not only causes massive amounts of stress but also leads to staying up late or even all night to catch up. Stress is nonstop in the world of college but the best way to alleviate its toll on the body is to stay organized to prevent those all-nighters.
A healthy lifestyle leads to a healthy mind and body. Healthy does not mean having the perfect physique but means feeling physically well.
A healthy lifestyle includes eating a well-balanced diet and staying active. I know, working out and eating well sounds impossible but it is not. Fitting in a few workouts a week and adding more fruits and vegetables to each meal are easy ways to begin the journey of living a healthy life.
Do not let the “Monmouth Plague” get you down. Get more sleep, reduce your stress, and try to practice a healthy lifestyle. I wish you luck with combating the germs this winter.
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth University
