Throughout this week, the students and faculty of Convent have been experiencing an onslaught of sickness and colds. Seasonal colds are very common, especially in the winter time when the temperature drops. After Halloween, the season is still fall but slowly transitioning to winter, a time of cold weather, which can cause colds like the sniffles, fevers and coughs.
“A lot of people have been sick, they’ve been dropping out like flies this winter season,” freshman Keely Corona said. “At cross country practice, coach Buckley told us to try and not get sick with championships coming up,”
With some fall sports seasons still continuing, like cross country, and winter sports tryouts this week, the need to stay healthy is crucial. Some students stay at home to rest and recover, not spread their colds and to try and prevent their sickness from lasting longer than it should. As Corona expresses, people have been getting sick one by one this season, so how can students and teachers find a way to keep the germs away and stay well with the emerging sport seasons, performances and extracurricular commitments?
“To prevent myself from getting sick, or when I have a cold, I get enough sleep, I drink a lot of water, I make sure to bring medicine with me to school, and I make sure I am getting all my nutrients and vitamins,” junior Giulia Putt said. “I try to not spread any germs by washing my hands a lot.”
Maintaining health can be challenging at times; however, there are ways to deal with cold seasons, such as, uniformly washing hands, sleeping enough, not sharing beverages, staying hydrated, eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, wearing enough layers, taking daily vitamins and medicine, managing stress and more. Unfortunately, as busy students, athletes, and performers, it can be hard to do all of these things. With midterms for upperclassmen, the amount of stress is stretched out more than usual, and when lowerclassmen have a test first thing in the morning, studying for that test might be a higher priority than getting enough sleep. or teachers as well, with constant grading and planning, it can be very hard to make the time to do the little things that make a huge difference in someone’s health.
“To me, when I’m sick, especially when I have a fever, I take it as a sign from my body to rest,” english teacher Elizabeth Waters said. “Sometimes, I think systems we are in send conflicting messages about getting everything done instead of prioritizing health. But behind the system are real people who know what it is like to be sick, and who will give you an extension and let you take the time to catch up.”
Teachers and students try their best to make time to do what is best for their health, whether that is staying home for a day, going to bed a little earlier than usual, drinking extra water, or having cough drops. There are various practices people can incorporate into their lives to prevent colds and sickness altogether, but the occasional sick day can arise, and to keep those sick days occasional, students and teachers must try their very best to rest and take advantage of the time they have to recoup on the weekends or at night.
“I took the time to rest and feel better,” Corona remarks “so I was able to bounce back so quickly.”
