A stomach virus is a good choice because it leaves you unable to go to class but isn’t necessarily severe enough to call for medical attention. The most awful symptoms of a stomach virus include diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps. [2] X Research source A fever also works because it makes a good excuse to stay home but usually just requires a little rest. Fever signs and symptoms might include sweating, shivering, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, dehydration, and general weakness. [3] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
Tell your guardians that you’re not feeling your best. You can do this by saying some key phrases like: “My head hurts. ” “I ate something funny at lunch today. " “A lot of my classmates have been out sick lately, I hope I didn’t catch anything!”
Avoid suddenly showing all of your symptoms at once. Pretending to vomit may make your guardians concerned enough to bring you to the doctor, so it’s best to stick to feigning the other two symptoms. [4] X Research source Avoid showing only the symptoms that you know your guardians usually treated with medication, like a headache.
The “art” of your performance lies in subtlety revealing your ailments. To help you find the right balance, think about what happened the last time you started to get sick. Avoid using direct phrases such as: “I don’t think I’ll be able to go to school tomorrow. ” ”I’m not feeling well enough to make it to class. ” ”I’m too sick for school. ”
Decline to participate in a favorite activity, such as watching a movie or playing a board game. Seem disinterested in engaging in the things your guardians know you usually enjoy doing. Don’t contribute a lot to the conversation so that you seem too tired to be involved. If your parents ask if you’ve been feeling sick for a while, tell them that you’ve been feeling slightly off all day.
Excuse yourself to use the bathroom and don’t come out for ten minutes to give the impression that you are feeling bad but that you can still function enough to not raise too much concern. When you return to the table, let your guardians know that your stomach is hurting by saying things like: ”Sorry I was gone for so long, my stomach feels weird. ” ”I’m not sure if I can finish dinner, my stomach doesn’t feel well. ” ”Can I be excused? My stomach is hurting and I think I want to lay down for a moment. ” If possible, sneak some snacks into your bedroom to eat later so that you don’t get really hungry at night!
Some well-known symptoms of a fever include body aches, fatigue, and muscle weakness. [5] X Research source You can show that you’re tired by moving slower than normal, laying down on the couch, or resting your head on the table at dinner. When you’re tired, your body temperature may drop slightly causing you to feel colder than normal. Get a blanket that’s heavier than normal to put over yourself when you’re sitting on the couch. [6] X Research source
A fever is also known as a “high temperature. ” You have a fever when your temperature rises above its normal range, which is about 98. 6 F (37 C). [7] X Research source Depending on what’s causing your fever, additional fever signs and symptoms might include: Sweating Shivering Headache Muscle aches Loss of appetite Dehydration General weakness [8] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source Pretending you have an increased body temperature should be done by demonstrating that you have the symptoms of a fever and by showing that you have an above-average body temperature.
Put on a sweater or heavy clothing to make your body warm. Without anyone seeing, do jumping jacks, high-knees, or mountain climbers for one minute. If you’re not hot after one minute, repeat your method until you start to feel hot and sweaty. Don’t overdo it! You don’t want to push yourself too hard and risk injury. Be careful and only perform until you feel hot. Take off your added layer of clothing and immediately go to your guardians and say you don’t feel well. They will see that you’re sweating and if they touch your cheek, they will feel that you’re hot.
Run a cloth under hot water and put it on your face and neck when no one is looking. Be sure that the water isn’t too hot, because you risk burning yourself. Pat off the excess water with a dry towel. You want to seem warm and have a little bit of water remaining. This will make it look like you’ve been sweating. If you don’t have access to a cloth, rub your face with your hands. This will create friction and warm your face quickly, as well as make it red. Ask your guardians to feel your head or cheek. Once you’ve warmed up, tell your guardians you don’t feel good again and let them touch your hot forehead.
Rub the tip of the thermometer with your fingers. The faster you move your fingers, the faster the thermometer will heat up to the temperature you want. If you have a heat source nearby, like a light bulb, put the thermometer next to it for a few moments. If your thermometer is one with mercury inside, then you can also raise the temperature by soaking it in hot water. Make sure that the water isn’t boiling, as this could cause the mercury thermometer to explode. The water temperature should only be a few degrees hotter than your body temperature, around 99. 5F. [9] X Research source
Hide a cup of water somewhere by your bed. This will be used at night to convince your guardians that you are sweating. If you have an electric tea kettle that won’t be noticed if missing, that’s even better than a cup of water. This way, you will be able to show that you’re both hot and sweating. Get a face cloth to hide by your bed next to the water. The cloth will be used to apply the water and also to make your face red.
Around 2 AM or 3 AM is a good time to wake up. Make sure that your parents don’t hear the alarm go off. Instead, put it at a low volume or on vibrate and keep it near you so you’ll hear. Use the cloth and water that you hid by your bed to rub your face until it looks red. Don’t dry your face completely so that it is still slightly wet and will look like sweat. Walk into your guardian’s room and ask them to feel your head because you think you might be sick.
If your guardians come to sit with you at night, wait a few minutes before pretending to fall asleep. Tell them you feel thirsty and ask for water. Pull the sheets tight over you to show that you’re cold. Avoid talking or complaining too much: let your performance speak for itself!
If your guardians come to wake you up, try to rub your face with your hands before they come into your room to make your face red and hot. Tell your guardians that you couldn’t sleep much. Say that you’re even more exhausted than you were yesterday.
Eat a little at breakfast to show that you are still not feeling well. Wear a heavy sweater and ask for an extra blanket because you “feel” really cold. Lay your head on the table to show that you’re really tired and disinterested
