How to Avoid Getting Sick, and Getting Over Sickness

I hate being sick; there is no worse feeling than being sick for me. I always try to maintain a good exercise routine, good hygiene and I eat healthily as well to make sure that I get sick as rarely as possible.

It has paid off as I hardly ever get sick because my immune system is quite hardy. At school, when I was in a class full of people that had the flu, I was one of the only ones who didn’t get it.

Still, there are times when you are exposed, perhaps more than you’d wish, when some inconsiderate idiot sneezes or coughs on you, or coughs all over the place and spreads their germs.

Right now while I’m sitting here writing this, I’ve been suffering for the last couple of days after I picked up something from one of my family members.

Here are some tips to deal with the things talked above in the heading:

• If you sweat a lot after exercise or sport, make sure to dry your hair as quickly as possible.

• If you don’t have a towel to dry your hair with then wear a beanie to keep your head warm.

• If you are out in the cold with wet hair, you will get sick the next day, guaranteed. It’s happened to me plenty of times.

• If someone is sick in your family, do what you can to either avoid them or have as little contact with them as possible. I’m not saying that you have to treat them like a leper, but it’s what it takes to stay healthy.

• I happen to have family members whom aren’t the most hygienic people on earth and it’s surprisingly easy to catch whatever is floating around the dinner table.

• If it means you have to eat in a different room for a week then do it. I don’t care if my folks think it’s inconsiderate or rude. I think it would be most inconsiderate to spread their germs all over me. There are always two sides of the coin.

• Malls, cinemas and schools are some the worst places you can go when it comes to health. There’s a good chance that could pick up something. Always be careful of escalators, lifts and toilets. These places require you to be in a place with people and you have no escape for a while, and this is most likely the time where you could get sick.

• Try to eat healthily, especially at breakfast. You should have anything that has vitamins and fibre in it. Bran Flakes, Corn Flakes, Jungle Oats, Muesli and other cereals are a good choice. Fruit and vegetables are also recommended.

• Eating and drinking things with Vitamin C is reported to be good. Berocca and Cal-C-Vita capsules that dissolve in water are great when you are in a hurry.

• Always keep warm; wear warm clothes or have a blanket if you’re really cold.

• When it’s raining and windy outside, wear clothes like a raincoat that will keep you warm and dry.

• Carry an umbrella for downpours.

• If your feet get wet, or any body part is wet for too long you may get sick, because your immune system may be weakened by the temperature conditions. This is not to say that being cold makes you sick. Germs make you sick. We know.

• Take your vitamins every day.

• Take a hot bath or shower when you’ve been out in cold weather.

• Be careful of sharing baths with others or using the water after they’ve finished, especially when they are sick.

• If you bath after someone else, put some disinfectant like Savlon or Dettol in the water and leave it for a few minutes.

• If you share a shower with someone, make sure you wear some cheap slops that you can wear in there to avoid picking up Athlete’s Foot.

• If you share a toilet with someone, spray the seat with disinfectant before touching it or sitting on it.

• Don’t ever share personal items like toothbrushes, shaving brushes, and anything that has touched someone else’s face.

• Don’t share food with other people.

• Dry your hair properly when you get out the bath. First use a towel, and then a hairdryer or something.

• Make sure you always wash your hands, especially after visits to the bathroom and before meals.

• Drink plenty of water.

• Get enough sleep; otherwise your immune system may be weakened.

• Make sure you are covered up in bed in winter, and don’t let any part of your body get exposed to the cold.

• Have a flu shot every year.

• Keep your fingers out of your eyes, nose and mouth. Use a tissue or a face pad around these areas if you have to. Otherwise you risk picking up germs.

Getting Over Sickness

• For congestion, try Vicks VapoRub on your chest and shoulders, or you can put some in a sink full of warm water and put your head over it with a towel on your head.

• Gargling salt can deal with a sore throat.

• Have a mint or a spray to soothe a sore throat.

• Chicken soup is also a common home remedy for someone who is sick.

• Plenty of rest is recommended when you’re sick. If this means you have to take a few days off of your exercise routine or work, then you should do it. Exhausting yourself means that you’ll be sick for longer. Some people think that by exercising while you are sick you will actually be doing some good, but in my experience it just makes it worse.

• Eating ice cream or drinking something soothes a sore throat.

• Hot water and lemon is supposed to clear up congestion. You get ready made sachets called Med-Lemon.

• Drinking Green Tea is supposed to have the same effect.

Some of you reading this might think that this all sounds like too much effort. You may even think that it’s all things that a fastidious neat-freak would do. Some even argue that a lack of exposure to dirty things will weaken your immune system because you don’t have a hardy constitution.

If people call you a germophobe or say that you’re germophobic, just reply that there’s no such word (it’s actually baccilophobic or bacteriaphobic - fear of germs).

Ask yourself though: would you rather be sick over and over to ‘build up’ your immune system or would you rather not get sick in the first place?