What it’s like to have an illness while in school and methods that can help make it easier

Having an illness can be extremely difficult to manage on its own. When combined with things like work and school, it can be extremely stressful for an individual with an illness to find a balance. Going from doctor’s appointments and gathering the energy to make it to your classes every day can be a lot to manage and might even cause more harm. That’s why, when you’re dealing with an illness, whether it’s  chronic or temporary, it’s really important that you take care of yourself. Remember to put your health first by resting and visiting the doctor when you’re ill. Don’t put off taking care of your medical needs just because you have other things to do for work or school. Your health is a priority and without taking care of yourself, you won’t be able to do the things that you need to do to the best of your ability. 

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, so take time to take care of yourself in that way too. Do things that you like or things that make you feel better or give you joy. Get some exercise, take a nice long bath, watch a movie, take a nap or read a book. It’s okay to take some time to yourself away from worrying about your schooling to prioritize yourself and take care of your mental health. Dealing with illnesses, especially in the long term, can affect you a lot mentally. So, taking time for yourself to do things that make you happy in such a hard time is beneficial.

Essential information is shared in lectures that may not be featured on posted materials like slideshows. While this is great for encouraging attendance, it can also cause students who are ill to attend classes while they are feeling unwell or may result in these students missing out on pertinent information. This can cause students who have to miss lectures frequently due to appointments to do worse on examinations and assignments. One thing that can help with this is to make connections with other students in your class so that if you miss a lecture, you can contact them and share notes. This way, you still have access to the information that you may have missed in a lecture while sick or in an appointment. It may be nerve-wracking to strike up conversations at first, but not only will you be able to get access to that information, but you just might make a close friend in the process.

Another good thing for you to do is to communicate with your professors about what they can do to assist you. Most professors want you to succeed in their courses. By communicating your needs—be it extra time on an assignment or rescheduling a test because you have an appointment, your professor can assist you to the best of their ability to make sure you succeed. Of course, you may need a doctor’s note or something similar before they will accommodate your needs. Along with that, not every accommodation you may want will be allowed. It is important to understand that while your professors want you to succeed, they can’t allow you to pass the class without you completing the assessments., However, they can adjust things like timelines to give you more time to do the work if needed.

There are resources available on campus that might also be of assistance. If you have a chronic illness or a temporary health condition such as a broken bone or something similar, you can contact Access and Equity Services. They can provide you with extra accommodations that you are unable to get by just contacting a professor. You can also get access to equipment to assist you in class which may not be available to other students generally. For this, you would need proper documentation, which you can send to Access and Equity Services online as part of your application and pre-intake form. From there, they will make an intake appointment with you to discuss what you may need in the future to assist you when attending classes or taking your midterms and finals. 

Outside of studying and taking care of yourself both medically and mentally, it’s important that you interact with people. If you have something that may be contagious or are unable to leave the house much, then call or text your close friends and family. If you’re not contagious, then invite people over or go and do things you enjoy with people you love. A feeling of isolation is common when you’re ill and so it’s very important that you still feel connected with those around you. Having a strong support system is monumental when recovering from an illness or learning to live everyday life with a chronic illness. 

Living everyday life while ill is challenging, but it doesn’t mean that the rest of your life has to stop. Many people with chronic illnesses can go on to live fulfilling lives even though it can be hard. Finding a balance in your everyday life to support yourself, even when you’re ill, is extremely important to be able to succeed and live your life. There are plentiful resources that you can access to support yourself when finding this balance. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help from those around you when you need support.