When life gives you lemons, squeeze them into a cup of hot water and then add your favorite bag o’ tea.

While you wait for the flavors to combine, reach over and grab that trusty box of tissues. The inevitable has happened – you’ve caught the campus contagion.

You know how the story goes; we’ve all been there, one sneeze turns to 25 and before you know it, you’re typing “Dear Professor, I’m sick in bed today…”

As these winter days get colder and nights at the library get longer, it’s hard to avoid getting sick. By this part of the semester your professor kicks it into overdrive, assigning busy work up the wazoo.

The over-populated fishbowl and the library are flooded with germs. Flu season is among us folks. But worry not – I have some precautionary tips for you.

One, get some damn sleep and save those late nights for the weekend. I understand, the assignments are never-ending and midterm exams are right around the corner.

But it’s doctor-recommended to catch a good amount of zzz’s in order to renew your energy. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night will strengthen your immune system and help you battle those bugs.

Two, grab your reusable water bottle and fill that baby up. Studies show drinking plenty of water is one of the top techniques to keeping those sinuses dry. You should be drinking eight, eight-ounce glasses or half a gallon of water a day. Remember your times tables? Doctors call this one the 8×8 rule, it’s that easy.

Should we go back to kindergarten? Make sure you spend 30 to 45 seconds building up those soap suds, then rinse your hands under warm water. Sounds simple right? Spare us the risk of your contamination.

Next, grab that orange, and no, I’m not talking about our president. If you feel the onset of an illness, peel an orange or grab a tall glass of Tropicana, to shorten the span of any illness.

Running out of Kleenex? Need another bottle or three of Nyquil? CVS is the plug. The new CVS downtown has everything you need. If you’ve been up all night, sneezing, coughing or even yacking, they have every essential remedy.

Don’t be a germ magnet! Though it may seem unavoidable to dodge a diagnosis, these simple steps will hopefully steer you in a healthy direction.