I’ve found that living on your own makes you appreciate the things your parents did for you growing up, especially around flu season. Like most children, I’d get sick every now and then but luckily I had my mom to make me soup and call me out of school and whatever other obligations little Trevor had.

Present-day Trevor isn’t as fortunate. Times aren’t as easy and me being sick is only one person’s problem: mine, so I have to stay sensible and make it through flu season.

Like many other aspects of my life, since coming to college I’ve been the only one responsible for my own health. But when you share a house with three other dudes and are constantly running around in the cold, sickness will eventually find you—whether you like it or not.

I absolutely hate being sick; everything about it in fact. I feel slower, I can’t breathe most of the time and sleeping is a nightmare. Sleeping while sick has especially been an issue since living in my own house. The heat only turns on at my house if you put the thermostat over 70 degrees. So to avoid an inflated electric bill we turn the heat off at night. That worked fine in the fall but now that it’s winter it becomes very cold at night, especially in my room.

I don’t know about most people, but whenever I catch something my body constantly fluctuates from being too cold to being too hot. Sleeping in a chilly room under two comforters doesn’t help ease this at all. Sometimes I’ll wake up and I’m shivering so I throw on a sweatshirt, then I wake up later and I’m sweating an uncomfortable amount.

While all this is going on I’m not only extremely groggy because it’s like 3:00 a.m. but also I can’t breathe through my nose and I’m full of NyQuil. Despite the tortuous nights, I try not to let a cold stop me; but carrying on at full steam won’t make the stuffy nose go away.

Everyone hates being sick; I’m assuming I’m not the only one. But the most important thing to do if you contract illness is to lay back, chill and try not to push yourself too much. People always insist you should stay in bed and get plenty of rest while you’re sick and they’re right, you should.

But when you have classes and a job to juggle around, it’s hard to stop yourself from doing the things you’d usually do.

As much as I’d love to think I can power through anything it simply isn’t the case. But at the same time I think it’s ridiculous to put down everything and stay in bed all day. When you’re not feeling your best it’s important to get rest where you can and be sensible about how you go about the day.

If you’re feeling like a loaded diaper, stay home for a day, email your professors and make up whatever work you can in front of the television. Not only because you need the rest but also because I don’t want your germs getting near me. But if you feel like you can hang in for the day, do it.

I’ve found a lot of college life is flying from the gut. Instead of my dear mom telling me when I should stay home, it’s up to me to deal with it and nurse me back to life.

Wildcats, please be sensible with flu season on the way. Stock up on cough drops and slug down some Emergen-C. Do what you have to do and we can all get through the season together.