As the winter season comes to an end and spring approaches, more students face the challenge of balancing sickness and studies. Winter is known for colds and the flu, while spring brings pollen that triggers allergies and respiratory issues. This becomes a challenge and puts strain on academics and mental health.
Before facing the challenge of school work, students should focus on recovering from sickness. It is crucial to prevent the spread of contagious illness to classmates and teachers. Staying home allows the body to recover faster than going to school.
To recover effectively, some common strategies that FWPA students often use are hot showers, taking medicine, proper rest, eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep and drinking lots of water. Based on Wilson Nguyen’s experience, he shares his most efficient way of recovering, “I recover from sickness fast by sleeping a lot, taking medicine and staying away from those who are sick.”
A common issue that FWPA students struggle with is pushing through sickness as if they’re not sick. When a student ignores their health, it can lead to worsening symptoms and falling behind in school. Finding motivation during recovery can be challenging, but getting support from others can make it easier to practice self-care strategies. “Don’t try to be a hero, school will survive without you for a day and your immune system will take care of you,” Robel Wondimagegn encouraged.
Once the recovery stage is over, students should work towards catching up on missing schoolwork and content. Catching up on schoolwork is important for maintaining academic performance.
FWPA students recommend strategies to catch up on late assignments after recovery, such as asking teachers and classmates on what was missed, asking questions, and planning to complete missing work gradually instead of all at once. According to Michael Nelson, “I make sure to talk to my teachers about my absences and about what I missed so I can better understand it and get extensions on missing or current work.”
A common mistake that students make is either not doing homework, or ignoring the fact that they are sick and completely focusing on schoolwork. To prevent this, try to leave a bit of extra time to do work but still give breaks in between to prevent overexertion, and do not procrastinate work. Soliha Khudaiberdieva suggests, “I would say to do your schoolwork in small chunks at a time so you could finish your work while spending time for yourself to feel better.”
By prioritizing health, these tips allow the body’s immune system to properly heal and stay on track academically without the risk of infecting others or worsening symptoms. “You got this! Don’t get worried or stressed and just ask for help!” Harper Sorenson concluded.
