In these last weeks of recovery after the lockdown or “home confinement”, we have often heard of “hut syndrome”, “prisoner syndrome”, “claustrophilia”, “agoraphobia”.
All these terms derive from the syndrome found in the United States called cabin fever , literally “physical malaise similar to typhus fever that comes to people who remain closed and isolated in a chalet for a long time due to the winter snow”.
Cabin fever is usually associated with being locked up indoors on a rainy weekend or stuck for a longer period during a snowstorm, in fact, it can actually happen whenever you feel isolated or disconnected from the outside world.
In fact, cabin fever is a syndrome which is a series of emotions and / or symptoms that people experience when confined to their homes for long periods of time. This can be due to a variety of circumstances, such as a natural disaster, a prolonged blockade of transport and even lockowns during pandemics such as COVID-19.
Recognizing the symptoms of cabin fever and finding ways to cope can help you experience isolation better, recognize symptoms, cope on your own, and seek help from a specialist when needed.
Cabin fever in the popular tradition and in the medical definition
In the popular tradition from which the term derives, cabin fever is used to explain the feeling of boredom or listlessness because stuck in the house or indoors for a few hours or days. But this idiom does not correspond to the reality of the symptoms.
Instead, cabin fever is a series of negative emotions and distressing feelings that people can face if they are isolated or feel cut off from the world.
These feelings of isolation and loneliness are more likely in periods of physical distancing (erroneously referred to as “social distancing”), self-quarantine during a pandemic or being stranded in a house, cabin or cabin due to severe weather.
In fact, cabin fever can lead to a number of symptoms that can be difficult to manage without adequate coping techniques or the ability to react.
Cabin fever is not a recognized psychological disorder, but that doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t real. The anguish is very real. It can make it difficult to meet the demands of everyday life.
What are the symptoms
? The symptoms of cabin fever go far beyond feeling bored or “stuck” in the house. They are rooted in an intense feeling of isolation and can include:
- restlessness
- decreased motivation
- irritability
- loss of hope
- difficulty concentrating
- irregular sleep: sleepiness or insomnia
- difficulty waking up
- physical and mental slowdown
- loss of trust in people
- lack of patience
- sadness or depression, even persistent
Personality, temperament, personal history and the presence of any previous psychological discomforts are decisive with respect to the prevalent manifestations of cabin fever in people even from the same family.
What can be done to cope with discomfort
Some people can overcome discomfort more easily by finding interests or activities to pass the time and ward off symptoms.
But other people may have great difficulty managing daily life until they deal with their own inner discomfort or malaise.
As long as going outside is not an option and you don’t have a terrace or a garden at your disposal, you can:
- open windows
- add a small bird feeder outside the window to bring them closer
- order or purchase fragrant and fresh flowers and place them where you can see them during the day
- growing medicinal herbs or small plants on a windowsill, balcony or small garden
- create a routine
If you don’t have a job, commitment, class, or study while in isolation, a lack of routine can cause impaired hunger (nervous hunger or loss of appetite), sleep (insomnia or drowsiness), and sexual disturbances.
To maintain an internal structure in your life, you need to create a daily routine that consists of work or home projects, meal times, time to play some sport and even downtime.
Having an outline for your day helps you to have a purpose, to have a sense of time through daily “mini-goals”.
Maintaining a social life
So it is not possible to go to the cinema or meet friends for dinner, but it is still possible to “meet” in a different way.
Using real-time video streaming services, such as FaceTime, Zoom or Skype, to chat with friends, colleagues and loved ones, helps a lot by keeping in touch with the “outside world” and making even your small home feel much bigger.
Connecting with others who are in a similar situation can help you feel that you are not alone. Sharing thoughts, emotions and challenges with others can help you understand that what you are feeling is normal and favors the resumption of contact when you recover knowing that prudence is necessary.
From this it is possible to learn to continue behaving as necessary as long as necessary, without putting oneself in danger.
Staying in touch with others can also help to find creative solutions to the present problem and to those that will come immediately after reopening but also in the next life. Furthermore, confrontation does not make you feel alone and allows you to develop your creative side.
Using time in isolation can be used to resume creative activities and pause for life and work commitments. Spending time in creative pursuits keeps the mind busy by reviving memory, attention and concentration. Keeping your mind busy can also help drive away feelings of boredom or restlessness and make time pass more quickly.
Take some time for yourself
If you live with others, the sensations caused by cabin fever can also be very intense. Parents have responsibilities towards children and partners have mutual responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to take some time for yourself.
Allow yourself time “private”, “away” from others and necessary to relax.
How to do
it Just find a quiet place to read a book, meditate or listen to some music.
Exercise
Research has shown that people who exercise regularly are less prone to anxiety than people who do not, because exercise reduces stress hormones such as cortisol.
At the same time, exercise causes the brain to release endorphins that improve mood and give an overall feeling of well-being.
Even after reopening if for any reason it is not possible to go out, you can do a home workout using only your body weight or simple equipment, such as dumbbells or rubber bands.
You can find training tutorials online on YouTube and through various apps.
Relax
You don’t need to plan every minute of every day spent at home. Take time to rest and relax.
Yoga, deep breathing, and relaxation exercises can help keep you feeling better and counterbalance feelings of isolation, frustration, or boredom.
How to deal with cabin fever as soon as you can get out
Since cabin fever is not a recognized psychological condition, there is no standard “treatment”. However, mental health professionals recognize that the symptoms are very real.
Finding meaningful ways to engage the mind and occupy time can help alleviate the distress and irritability caused by cabin fever.
- Spending time outdoors
- Many studies show that time spent in nature is time well spent on mental health.
- Spending time outdoors not only improves your cognitive function, but can also: improve mood, relieve stress, increase the feeling of well-being
When you need to ask for help from a specialist
Cabin fever is often a fleeting sensation, it can make you irritable or frustrated for a few hours, to overcome it it may be enough to talk on the phone or video call with a friend or find a temporary commitment (household chores, repairs, tidying up, etc).
Sometimes, however, the feelings can become stronger and no remedy is put in place and effective to counteract the feelings of isolation, sadness, melancholy or depression.
Furthermore, if the time indoors is prolonged by external reasons such as bad weather, snow, a flood or an emergency situation declared by the authorities (not just health), anxiety and fear are inevitable.
Anxiety can be one of the first symptoms of cabin fever. If symptoms worsen, consider contacting a psychiatrist or analyst to understand what is happening and identify ways to overcome anxiety and / or depression.
Of course, if you are in isolation, you can contact mental health specialists (psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, psychologists) by going online while waiting to meet at the office.
Isolation is not a “natural” condition since people are “social” beings, they need to be company, to feel emotional closeness, to exchange thoughts and feelings, to play and have fun, to live togetherness.
Lack of social relationships can make it difficult to stay at home for long periods of time, even more so for those who live alone or away from their families.
However, whether you are locked up at home to avoid the dangers of severe weather or to follow guidelines to minimize the spread of a disease, staying home is important to yourself and your community.
It is equally important to follow the instructions of the authorities when the “protective” isolation is finished.
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