Coming down with the cold once or twice a year is unavoidable. Letting it stick around however is not. You can fight off the common cold if you choose to. The key is you must strike right away before it is too late. If you wait until the cold has already fully settled in, and gotten strong in your system than there is not much you can do and you will just have to let things run their course.

Here is what you do—

1. Recognize that it’s a cold right away. A lot of times we might be tempted to think it’s allergies or just a sniffle, or something like that and that it will go away on its own. That is often a mistake. Stay in tune with your body and when you feel a cold coming on say “Ok body, we have an invader on the premises . . . and we are going to KICK IT”S ASS.” Seriously, it helps to be a bit militant right away, like you are going to war against the virus.

2. Clear away your schedule. Drop you plans for the evening and the next day. You are going to be busy. KICKING THE COLD”S ASS! This will require your full attention. But listen my friend, it is far better to get it over with in 24 hours than it is to let it drag on and on, sometimes a cold whose ass you did not kick right away can burrow into your system and last for days, and even weeks, and in worst case scenarios it can spread to the lungs or eye/nose/ear passages and become an infection. Those are a real bitch to deal with. So fight it off now, while it’s nascent.

3. Get somebody to baby you. I am talking someone to bring you tissues, soups, to ask if you need another cup of tea etc. Let them totally mollycoddle you. I s’pose there has been research done in some labs about the clinical efficacy of positive nurturing vibes to aid in healing yada yada, I dunno but it works! Whether it is your significant other, or a roommate, or  parent, whoever is available enlist their aid in the fight. mostly to bring you a steady supply of things, specifically hot liquids, which is your artillery. That brings us to—

4. Drink so much tea it boggles the mind. If you are catching the cold while it is still fresh, and small then you can sort of scald it to death by drinking lots of tea. Herbal tea is best. You can also just drinking a piping hot mug of lemon, honey and cinnamon.

5. Homemade chicken soup. If it can’t be homemade than go to a decent low-key restaurant. Preferably get it to go! Pho is good for colds. And a lot of Pho restaurants have this soup of spicy chicken curry that is amazing, and just the thing for a cold.

6. Take it easy. Lay around. Read a book, catch up on netflix, re-watch The Big Lebowski, just veg out. If you can get in a nap. And don’t stay up late.

7. This almost goes without saying, but take your vitamins: C, maybe a mug of airbourne. Swallow a clove of garlic etc.

7. Lastly, I’m all for herbal remedies but you should also take some stuff from the shelves of a the pharmacy to fight the symptoms, because the symptoms can be exhausting and make it harder to turn the corner towards good health. What you take might vary depending on your symptoms. I usually pop a nasal decongestant and a aspirin. The modern medicine coupled with the home remedies is a well rounded approach.

Do all of this and you’ll be filling better in no time. Don’t forget to take ‘er easy a for a day or two so the cold doesn’t come back.