How do I make a cold go away faster? And how do I know for sure its a cold?

A few days ago I had a sore throat that lasted about 48 hours. Then yesterday I woke up with a cold. I have been sick all weekend so far. I don't have a fever but I get really hot at random times when I am doing simple things. I have a really dry cough and and stuffy nose. But I took some DayQuil for the cough (didn't work) and I used Equate nose drops to make my nose not stuffy. So is this a cold?? Or something I should be worried about. I almost never get sick so that's the main reason why I'm a little bit worried. And if it is a cold how do I make it go away faster?