Cabin Fever

Cabin fever is an idiomatic term, first recorded in 1838, for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in a small space, with nothing to do for an extended period.  {Wikipedia}

It’s about this time of year people start to feel a little closed in–and by closed in, I mean they start to fear that their life will become a scene from The Shining.  So, if you are seeing a strange resemblance to Jack Nicholson when you look in the mirror, it might be time to take some preventative steps for cabin fever {unless you ARE Jack Nicholson, in which case, carry on}.

1.  Adopt a healthy lifestyle.  This is the go-to for all of life’s problems.  Eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, exercise.  Those three things will really equip you to deal with all of life’s annoyances.
2. Find an indoor hobby.  Gardening, hiking, sitting on a beach, etc. are all awesome.  They are not options right now for most, so embrace an indoor something.  Take up an instrument, knit, scrapbook, bake.  Just keep yourself busy, so you don’t have time to think about how the walls are closing in.
3. Embrace cold weather hobbies.  I know people who HATE to be cold.  I get it, it’s no fun, but it’s a lot better than idly waiting for spring to come.  Snowshoe, cross-country ski, downhill ski, become an ice-sculptor and hit the brunch circuit…just get out there and embrace the cold.
4. Use the time to read those books you always promised yourself you would get to.  It’s a when you can’t beat ’em, join ’em solution.  Crawl into your jammies by the fire and read about the adventures fictional people are having.
5. If you are stuck in the house with little ones, try breaking up the day with independent time and structured activities.  I know it’s extra work, but they will be a little less unruly if you provide them a project once or twice a day.  P.S. projects don’t have to be a Pinterest worthy endeavor–it can just be rounding them up with a stack of paper and paints/markers.
6. Find ways to keep kids active.  Set up a small obstacle course in the living room.  It can be simple.  They have to jump over couch pillows, or roll from one side of the room to the other.  Time how long it takes them to run up the stairs 5 times.  However you do it, they are always a little better behaved with they have burned off some steam.
7.  Join a gym.  I know I already said to exercise, but sometimes in the winter months, just getting out of the same four walls to a different four walls is motivation in and of itself.
8. Take a class.  It will get you out of the house, and who knows, maybe give you a new hobby.  Take an art, photography, cooking, etc. class.  That way, you will emerge from winter new and improved.
9. Throw a party/gathering.  Sometimes, just bringing in fresh blood goes a long way.  It puts a whole new light on your four walls.  It will give you a distraction at the very least.
10. Go to a coffee shop, museum or bookstore and spend the afternoon/evening.  For the price of a cup of coffee, you get a change of scenery, some conversation, reading, see something new, or just peruse the internet on your laptop.

Here’s to making it ’til spring with our sanity still intact {I am just going to pretend mine was intact in the first place :)}

~Mavis