By Jaidyn Steinbrecher
You wake up. Your alarm for class echoes through your pounding head. You stretch and yawn only to feel a tightness in your throat and chest. Through your dry mouth you try to swallow, only to feel that ever so familiar onset of sickness developing from within.
Since even before students returned to Susquehanna University for the spring semester, cases of a sort of “super-flu” have been steadily at an uptick across the nation, as it typically does this time of year. Every university has its own name for this unavoidable foe, but here at Susquehanna, we have coined it the “Susky Flu,” and I am here to tell you that it is avoidable. You just need to know these following tips, and you’ll make it through just fine.
- WASH YOUR HANDS
Yes, it’s basic. Yes, it may make you feel like a child again, but everyone needs to know how to properly wash their hands! I need two hands to count how many times I have seen or heard someone walk out of the bathroom without washing their hands this week alone (it is only Tuesday as I’m writing this).
Proper handwashing—soap, warm water, for at least 20 seconds—remains the most effective way to prevent illness. Do it before eating, do it after using the restroom, do it after touching high-traffic surfaces like door handles, gym equipment or keyboards.
Do it after everything.
If you’re on the move, hand sanitizer is a solid backup. Just don’t treat it as a substitute for actual soap forever.
- Take it Easy,Takea Nap
Pulling all-nighters might feel like a campus rite of passage, but chronic sleep deprivation weakens your immune system fast. When you’re exhausted, your body has fewer resources to fight off viruses. Aim for seven to nine hours when you can. If that sounds impossible, consistency helps—going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time matters more than perfection.
With that, be easy on yourself. Stress doesn’t just affect your mood—it affects your immune system. Long-term stress can make you more likely to get sick and recover more slowly. Whether it’s exercise, talking to friends, taking breaks or using Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) resources, finding ways to decompress is an important part of staying healthy.
- Eat Something ThatDidn’tCome From a Vending Machine
Your immune system runs on fuel, and it prefers real food. Fruits, vegetables, protein and enough calories overall help your body defend itself. This doesn’t mean you have to give up late-night pizza. Just try to balance it out. Even small upgrades—like adding fruit, drinking more water or not skipping meals—makes a difference.
You might not want to eat at Evert Dining Hall at risk of getting others sick, but you can certainly use one of their Grab and Go boxes to get in and out as fast as possible and back to your warm, comfortable room. You can also grab food from Benny’s, Scholarly Grounds, etc. on GrubHub, or if you are feeling really sick, you can have food delivered from GrubHub as well!
- Don’tPower Through Being Sick
Campus culture often rewards pushing through everything but going to class while actively sick doesn’t make you heroic, it just spreads germs and slows your recovery. If you’re feeling awful, stay home when possible, email your professor and use lecture recordings or notes from a friend. Resting early means you’ll be back on your feet faster.
If you absolutely must go to class—as in you’ve used all your excused absences, you’ve already talked with your professor and have done everything you can to avoid leaving your room—make sure to mask up. Nobody wants to sit next to or in front of someone coughing and sniffling all class long and risk getting sick themselves.
- Keep Your Space (and Your Stuff) Clean
Dorm rooms, cramped classrooms and study spaces can become germ hotspots. So again, for the second time because you better not forget: Wash. Your. Hands.
Additionally, make sure to regularly wipe down surfaces like your laptop, desk doorknobs and especially your phone. If you don’t have any wipes, check the Pantry in the basement of the Blough-Weis Library or go to the University Health Center and ask if they have any (they usually do!).
- Use Campus Health Resources
Finally, make sure to use your resources. The Health Center offers many services including check-ups, certain vaccinations, illness diagnosis and prescription medications for those with those diagnoses. Take advantage of their help early. Preventive care is way better than panic-Googling symptoms at 2 a.m., and the Health Center often requires a day’s advance with the rising cases.
In all, you don’t need to live in a bubble to stay healthy on campus. A little sleep, basic hygiene, decent food and listening to your body can go a long way. College is busy, stressful and demanding—but being sick makes all of that harder. Take care of yourself. Your GPA, your immune system and everyone sitting next to you in class will certainly thank you later!