I feel like I have been sick for a year. I’m really overdramatic when I’m sick, but I truly have been sick for three weeks now. That is nearly a month of my life I have spent not being able to breathe out of my nose. Full disclosure: I’m not a mouth-breather, and I’m annoying myself.

I know stuff is spreading like crazy. I think, honestly, all of our classes should be held online until everyone is healthy because I’m tired of being healthy for two seconds, breathing the same air as all you “sickies” and waking up as a “sickie.”

Are we all practicing good hygiene? Everybody washing their hands as often as possible? I can answer that — no, you “nasties” are not. I sit in the public bathrooms, minding my business, and hear you rush to get out of the stall and out of the door.

I have seen — with my own two eyes — some of you all sneezing and coughing without covering your mouth. Or — you do cover your mouths, but it’s with your hands, and then you touch something and, guess what, now I’m sneezing and coughing, too.

I’m in the process of trying to accept that sick mode is now and forever my default. I don’t know when I will ever be able to breathe out of my nose again. I don’t know when my face won’t feel heavy, and there won’t be so much mucus — where does it all come from?

Physically, I am truly exhausted by all of this. All I want to do is sleep, but you know what happens when I start to fall asleep? Because my mouth is open, I make an alarming noise and I wake myself up. Earlier in this whole mess, I would wake up because it hurt to swallow or because my fever was breaking.

Here’s the thing: I never used to get sick — truly. I never used to be this fixated on people’s hygiene and germs and the spread of germs. Maybe my immune system is on the decline or maybe none of you are washing your hands.

I even spray Lysol, but that is not working. We all just need to be more diligent about washing our hands. I’m going to start carrying Lysol wipes with me everywhere and wipe down surfaces. That was supposed to be a joke, but I’m really thinking it’s a good idea.

Everybody: Stay safe, study hard and wash your hands.

Megan Keane is a senior English and psychology major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at mkkeane@eiu.edu.