It is the time of year when all you hear is the sniffling of runny noses, and the continuous hacking of the incessant cough.

Not uncommon amongst the below freezing temperatures, blizzards and viruses that spread like wildfire.

2013 in particular has been one of the worst flu epidemics in 10 years, and 29 states have reported the flu as severe in their state according to experts at the CDC.

Also, hospitalizations have seen a 169 percent increase from last year.

Doctors recommend staying home from school or work if you think or know you have the flu.

A common misconception is that if you cough into your elbow, or use Purell after every disposal of a tissue then you are safely prohibiting the spreading of the gift that keeps on giving.

False.

According to pamf.org adults can spread the flu or flu-like symptoms before their own symptoms even develop. That means that you can inadvertently get someone sick without even knowing that you are sick yourself.

“Respiratory droplets are generated by a person coughing or sneezing and can be propelled…three to six feet,” pamf.org states.

So the question is can you afford to miss class, call out of work or miss the meeting?

Economically, or educationally perhaps not, but why not focus on yourself and get better, while preventing others from catching your illness.

You may think that if you stay home you are just being weak, and maybe a little selfish, but I believe this to be incorrect.

Personally, if I am sick, I am going to stay home. I am not doing my body any favors by bracing the weather conditions, sitting or working in an environment that has a high flow of germs or not resting and drinking enough fluids.

How could you possibly get better?

My solution is to take the R&R time.

The problem is that most people do not want to admit defeat, admit that their immune system is down, or admit that they need to take a break.

Katherine Kam of WebMD has a few questions that you should ask yourself when deciding whether or not to go to work.

The first is: How well can you carry out your duties? If you are feeling rather sick and are on any type of medications you will no longer be able to accomplish the tasks that you would on a normal work-day. You will not be able to function at the same rate you would at a normal healthy level.

The next is: Are you contagious? “If you have a viral or bacterial illness, you’ll expose your coworkers and they in turn will infect others. Staying home when you’re sick helps to curb germs in the community. ‘It’s to contain the illness,’ Cummins says.” stated Kam.

Lastly: Will resting at home help your body to overcome illness? Doctors tend to see worsening symptoms because people do not take the time to take care of themselves. What most students or employees do not understand is that they are thrusting the sickness on to others, and that they will be sicker at the end of the week, than they would have had they taken that initial day to recuperate.

Moreover, there are a number of remedies to boost your immune system, help you get well and feel rejuvenated.

On the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website, experts recommend people ages 18 to 64 to get the intradermal flu shot. They say, “An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to reduce the chances that you will get seasonal flu and lessen the chance that you will spread it to others. When more people get vaccinated against the flu, less flu can spread through that community.”

The CDC also says that the flu season usually peaks during January and February, so even through January was the worst of the outbreak, you’re not in the clear just yet.

More remedies for feeling lousy are immune system boosters like Emergen-C and Airborne, which come in tasty flavors, such as grapefruit, citrus and raspberry.

All you have to do is dissolve them in your water for an instant pick me up.

So, remember if you start to feel sick, get some R&R, don’t infect others, and try out some sickness preventers such as the flu shot and immune system booster dissolvable tablets.