As seasons and semesters change, stress levels rise and maintaining good health becomes a concern, according to students. From increasing your water intake to trying favorite home remedies like drinking warm milk and honey, students gave advice on how to stay healthy during the Spring Semester.
Emily Barr, a freshman biology education major from Minnesota, explained, “The flowers are back in bloom, so there is more pollen in the air and people with allergies get sick. It’s also a time of change. People get stressed with changes.
“Right now we have new classes, a new semester, are moving to new places, deciding whether to stay or go home, and it can be really stressful for people. The more stressed you are, the easier it is to get sick. This is a short semester. If you let it get you stressed, you'll be more focused on your stress and then you’ll let things drop and that can sometimes be your health.”
Sabrina McQueen, a sophomore from New Zealand double majoring in history and psychology, commented, “I noticed for me the times I get sick the most is during the changing of the seasons. Hay fever [allergies] is a huge thing right now, I don't suffer from hay fever, but I know a lot of people do.
“I think stress however is connected to health. When I get stressed I don't eat as much, and my eating patterns change. After a while, I'll notice myself getting weaker and I'm less able to concentrate.”
Keanu Dellona, a sophomore from California who is undeclared, shared his concern. “Our bodies are adjusting from the winter to spring climates. For example, you don’t have as much dust or pollen in the winter. They become more of an issue in the spring as our bodies have to adjust to these changes quicker than they normally do.”
Dellona encouraged others to have good hygiene. “Make sure you shower daily, brush your teeth, and wash your face. Most importantly, drink water. I mean honestly if you’re not getting enough water then ‘water you doing?’”
Barr explained how stress affects her, “When I get stressed, my nose will start getting stuffed, and I am much more drained. When my stress level is really high, my whole body gets really tired, and it becomes much harder to recover from anything I might have. For example, in a non-stressful situation, I would be fine and I would be able to recover quickly, but if I'm sick and stressed, then it can take up to a month to get healthy again.”
Dellona shared his own experience, “A lot of the time my stress gets worse as my allergies do, especially when they get in the way of my day-to-day life. Due to my allergies, I can’t always work to the best of my abilities.”
Barr explained how she handles being sick, “I only get sick about twice a year. I don't really do anything to prevent myself from being sick. I do the normal things. I wash my hands, drink water, and as soon as I feel myself getting sick I try to combat it. I'll take hot showers and try to only use natural stuff. Back home my best friend’s mother sells doTerra, so I have a lot of that, and I use it to help too.
“When I do get sick, I try to let it run its course, unless it's bad, then I would go to urgent care... If I have a really high fever, I would still try to get it down, but if I can't, then I go to the doctor.”
McQueen gave a similar insight, “I live healthily. I eat healthy and exercise. I eat less processed foods, nothing too out of the ordinary, so I don’t really get sick. When I do [get sick], I rest and I try to drink a lot of water. If it's the flu or a cold, I try to eat more fruits, to get more vitamin C.”
Dellona shared what he does in order to recover from being sick. “When I get sick, I usually just take medicine and do what I can to get better. If it is something like a cold or something based off my allergies, I don’t really go to the doctors, but if it begins to impede my ability to work, then I will go see a doctor.
“For a scratchy throat I use salt water. If I have a really stuffy nose or I’m congested, I’ll use a nébuliseur. A nébuliser is a device that has a small head piece that creates a bunch of steam. You put your face in the head piece and just breathe normally and it helps clear your sinuses.”
Barr also offered her advice on what to do for a sore throat. “My favorite home remedy for a sore throat is warm milk with honey and a little bit of lemon. You just warm it up in the microwave and stir it all together. You have to be a bit careful though. You want enough lemon for a little zing. You don't want to curdle the milk. Or I'll just drink lemon water.”
McQueen said, “My favorite home remedy is lemon and honey tea, but it’s really important to drink lots of water. Make sure you're taking in a lot of natural vitamins like fruits and vegetables, and exercise.”
Barr explained additional tips on how to be healthy. “Drink lots of water, wash your hands, avoid sick people like the plague, and if you start to feel yourself getting sick, try to take care of it right away, because if you ignore it, then it could get worse and that's significantly harder to get rid of.”
Writer: Hailey Kenyon