Do I have 'cabin fever'? How to stay grounded as quarantines stretch on

POLITICS

Do I have 'cabin fever'? How to stay grounded as quarantines stretch on

Published Wednesday, April 15, 2020 10:16PM EDT

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TORONTO -- Amid the immediate fear and confusion that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into the lives of Canadians lurks another rising problem: the crushing boredom and anxiety of cabin fever.

Life is looking a little surreal for most Canadians right now. Most workplaces are shut down, we can’t leave our homes for our ordinary social gatherings and the concept of getting within an arm’s length of a stranger on the street is both terrifying and nostalgically evocative.

It’s been around four weeks since Canadian officials started insisting on physical distancing -- and those who took the pandemic more seriously before others may have been isolating themselves for even longer than that.

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It’s no surprise that for many of us, cabin fever is creeping in.

WHAT IS CABIN FEVER?

Cabin fever isn’t an actual psychological term, according to registered psychologist Janine Hubbard, but it is a common word used to describe the state of mind that people trapped in one place tend to have.

“There's kind of a cluster of symptoms that we see when people are forced to being cooped up for extraordinarily long periods of time,” Hubbard told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.

If you’ve noticed yourself feeling an increased irritability, restlessness, a lack of motivation, difficulty focusing and an increase in sleepiness and unhealthy eating habits as the weeks go on, you might be experiencing cabin fever.

WHY DO WE FEEL LIKE THIS?

Humans are creatures of habit, Hubbard explained. When our routines are disrupted, we don’t respond that well.

“We're used to social interactions … in terms of daily routines,” she said. “We're used to going into work. We're used to kids being at school.”

The fact that a specific end date for physical distancing can’t be predicted only makes things worse.

“It's one thing if we just told everybody that, OK, you know what, you need to just hole up in your house for the next two weeks and on a certain date we're going to lift all restrictions, Hubbard said. “You wouldn't be having people having those same sensations.

“It's that uncertainty, and we don't cope well with uncertainty for sure.”

Fears associated with COVID-19 itself add another layer of anxiety.

Someone who is stuck in one place because they went on an art retreat isn’t going to experience the same type of cabin fever as a population preoccupied with a life-and-death situation which is occurring right outside of their front door.

“It's fear for personal safety, fear for safety of others,” Hubbard said. “It's not being able to grieve and mourn even normal natural losses that are continuing to happen. It's that real disruption in all of our normal social patterns.”

One of the concerns with cabin fever is that it can lead to people wanting to engage in risky behaviours more.

Hubbard gave the example of people snowboarding down the streets of Newfoundland during the aftermath of January’s blizzard, which locked people within their homes for days.

People who are experiencing a lack of control and stimulation “need to activate some of those endorphins,” she explained. It’s a way to shake off the “lack of motivation, that lack of energy,” that cabin fever brings.

“So I do worry, especially as things continue, if we may start to see more of that risky behaviour as part of all of this,” Hubbard said.

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE CABIN FEVER?

The good news is that there are a number of things that a person can do to fight the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.

Establish a routine

You don’t have to get up at 6:00 a.m. every day, but keeping yourself on a loose routine of some type -- getting out of bed at a similar time, having regular mealtimes, attempting to keep to a shower schedule -- will help to keep your spirits up as the weeks go on.

“Having regular ‘work time,’ whether that's you working, whether that's your kids doing some schoolwork, whether that's you tackling a project, (or) building some exercise time (is important),” Hubbard said.

Change your clothes

When you get out of bed, put on something that you didn’t sleep in.

“Get dressed,” Hubbard suggested. “Even if it’s just into (more) comfy clothing.”

Putting on a full suit for a work from home shift might be energizing for some, but don’t worry, it’s not completely necessary -- the important thing is just the act of getting dressed at all. Wearing pants in a pandemic is an achievement.

Try to see the sun

If at all possible, getting some time outside can have a huge impact on your mental health.

“It's amazing how much that exposure to sunlight is going to help with some of your endorphins and your serotonin levels, which are all going to make you feel a whole lot better,” Hubbard said.

If going for a walk makes you feel more anxious because of worries about maintaining physical distancing, just standing on a balcony, in your backyard, or on your front steps for a few minutes could improve your mood.

Be social…

Checking in with others through technology or phone calls is important. We all need social support, and just hearing a human voice can remind us that the world outside of our home still exists.

“If you're used to having a coffee with a coworker each morning … set up some virtual Zoom meetings or FaceTime where you're going to have your little cup of coffee together and just be connected,” Hubbard said.

…but take breaks from social media and the news

Staying informed on developments within your country and across the world is important, but refreshing Twitter all day and overloading on horrifying headlines can leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Hubbard recommended limiting your news intake to “once or twice a day (from) a reputable news source where you know you're getting accurate, up-to-date information.”

And when you talk to family and friends over FaceTime or the phone, “try to keep your conversations about things other than COVID. Talk to them about the silly things you've been reading or watching on TV.”

This doesn’t mean you should not talk to loved ones about your stresses and how you’re holding up during this crisis.

But if conversations turn into two people repeating every upsetting news article they’ve read in the past two weeks, it could just leave participants feeling worse afterwards, instead of feeling connected.

Try to engage in “active distraction,” not just Netflix

Having downtime where you don’t have to think is important, and watching TV or movies can be great for that.

“But try to include some active distraction,” Hubbard said. “So something that distracts you and relaxes you, but also engages your brain."

This could be pulling out a board game if you are quarantining with multiple people, or “doing a puzzle or pulling out an old craft project.

“Something where you're feeling both relaxed and productive,” Hubbard explained. This can help to take away some of the helplessness people can experience in this time.

Don’t compare your quarantine to others

“It's really important to remember that this experience looks different for everyone,” Hubbard said. “So yes, while you may have some people who are able to use this as a time for … around the house projects or doing some cleaning … or developing a new skill, there are some people who are just trying to get out of bed every morning and get their kids fed and clothed and trying not to crumble.”

For some, their largest immediate worry right now is boredom and how to fill the days in order to stave off anxiety. But others may have family members or loved ones battling COVID-19, or may be still working on the frontlines, or may have lost their jobs and be preoccupied with financial concerns.

These people “don’t have time for self-development projects,” Hubbard said.

Others may be battling mental health issues strong enough that seeing people post on Instagram about how many new languages they’re learning may not be inspiring, but instead feel like social pressure to be doing better than a person is currently capable of.

If all you can do one day is get out of bed, put on sweatpants and reheat Kraft dinner, that’s still an accomplishment, Hubbard said.

“If that’s what you manage to accomplish, that’s fantastic. Tomorrow might look a little bit different. We're all going to have our strong days and we're all going to have our days where we're not feeling so on top of it.”

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