The Woes of Influenza

This morning, as I woke up to complete an assignment for my Advanced Placement Psychology class, I felt it. My throat was tight and dry. My nose was congested and numb. I got the chills every five seconds. Oh, no, I thought to myself, not this week. I can't be sick this week.

It grew worse as the day progressed. I started violently sneezing and coughing, and my head throbbed to a steady beat. By fourth period, I had to face it: early in the school year as it may be, I had somehow managed to succumb to the infamous 'cold and flu season', falling (and sneezing) helpless against its germy malice.

Since it seems to be too late for me, I felt as though this would be a perfect topic to base my blog on this week. I'd like to prevent any of you from becoming infected with the school bug. It turns out that there are some simple ways to safeguard yourself against classroom-borne illnesses. Here goes:

1.) Wash your hands! Those sinks and soap dispensers aren't there in the bathrooms just for decoration, you know. :) Washing your hands is a simple and effective way to prevent bacteria from touching you.

2.) Catch some 'z's. Sleeping is actually a great way to prevent getting sick when you first feel it coming on. In fact, if you look here, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/22/health/22real.html?_r=1,

you can see the science to back it up. Basically, the less sleep you get, the more likely you are to catch a cold.

4.) Be a little selfish. It's true that our mothers taught us the phrase "sharing is caring", but in the case of colds and flus, being a little selfish wouldn't hurt. Don't share your water bottles or utensils with your buds at lunch! Even if it seems as though your friends aren't harboring a secret illness, they may be in the process of coming down with something or could, at the very least, have tons of bacteria on their hands or mouth. Yuck!

5.) Ditch your homies like the plague (get it?!). Yeah, I said it. When your friends are sick, they tend to be very clingy and want extra attention. This is only natural; people want attention when they're sick. Listen to me now, don't give it to them! Getting all touchy-feely with your classmates while they're under the weather can only mean bad things for your own immune system. In short, your friends are going to have to deal with some 'positive vibes' from you...across the room. :)

All in all, it's not too hard to maintain a healthy immune system. Maybe next time around I'll listen to my own advice. Until then, I'll have to suffer through this thing. (I feel a sneeze coming on...)