By Jake Raphael
Even though teachers may believe that a Friday absence means a weekend in Paris or that a Monday absence means skipping a test, sometimes students may actually be sick. Having missed prolonged periods of time due to illness throughout my years at South, I can confidently say I have perfected what to do while sick at home. Here are my five recommendations for how to best handle a day home when you are ACTUALLY sick.
1. Drink Plenty of Soup
When home sick, nothing is better than soup, especially when you have a sore throat. A few cups of hot soup often soothe a sore throat. Additionally, cups of soup that contain poultry, such as my personal favorite chicken noodle, contain a ton of vitamins that help build immunity[1] according to healthline.com.
2. Stay in Bed
Having such a rigorous schedule like many South students do often leads to stress. Stress is terrible for your body when you are sick. Stress lowers immunity and often prevents you from healing from your illness. There is no better way to recover than just laying in bed.
3. Avoid Candies and Other Sweets
Although delicious at pretty much all times, candies and sweets are probably best left untouched during illness. I will admit I have often been tempted to snack on a Reeses or maybe demolish a Twix bar; however, that is not advised. Candy is often uncomfortable to eat while sick, whether it be that it tastes different or it is difficult to swallow. That combined with its negative effects on immunity should be enough to keep you away. However, if that’s not enough, the vile taste of candies, especially chocolates, after you consume Orange Juice (a drink that every parent forces their sick child to drink) will definitely keep you away.
4. Watch a movie or two
A day at home would not be complete without a movie or two. There are so many different ways to stream movies today, and with such a wide variety of films, the possibilities are endless. I personally recommend checking out Netflix. I recently watched The Dark Knight while home sick, and I believe it was one of the best movies I have ever seen.
5. Make sure to get the work that you missed
While school may be the last thing on your mind while home sick, eventually you will get better. That being said, you do not want to be what feels like a year behind when you return to school. Sending a quick text asking for the notes and briefly looking over them will not take you that long and will prevent future stress.
