Cabin fever is a term to describe a variety of negative feelings resulting from being isolated for too long in a certain home or place. This condition is prone to occur during policy stay at home set by the government and WHO to break the chain of the spread of the Corona virus.
People who experience cabin fever feeling sad, bored, anxious, irritable, and various other negative feelings due to staying in one place for too long and being isolated from the surrounding environment.
Cabin fever vulnerable to occur in people who are in shelters during disasters or bad weather, as well as in people undergoing quarantine due to disease outbreaks, including the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Recognize Symptoms Cabin Fever
Cabin fever it is not included in a psychological disorder, but that does not mean this condition is not real. Symptoms that appear on cabin fever so real that it can interfere with daily activities.
Symptom cabin fever What everyone experiences can be different. However, the negative feelings that arise are generally not temporary, but last long enough to affect the daily life of the person experiencing them, including working, interacting with others, and resting.
Following are the symptoms cabin fever what you should watch out for:
- Feeling very sad, restless (agitated), and hopeless
- Weakness or lack of energy
- Easily angry and offended
- Difficulty concentrating or thinking
- Having trouble sleeping, such as having trouble falling asleep or waking up too early
- Being impatient
- Uninterested and unmotivated to everything
- Often crave food or just don't have an appetite
- Experiencing weight gain or loss
- It's hard to trust the people around him
- Unable to control emotions and stress
These are Tips to Prevent and Overcome Cabin Fever
Actually, the best way to prevent and treat cabin fever is by traveling outside the home. However, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this method is not a wise choice. now, so that you avoid cabin fever, apply the following steps:
1. Breathe fresh air from the terrace of the house
To prevent and overcome boredom because you have to stay at home during the pandemic, you can go out to the front of the house or sit on the terrace to just breathe fresh air, bask in the morning sun, relax, or see the surrounding conditions.
However, make sure you keep applying physical distancing with people you meet, wear a mask, and wash your hands after entering the house. If you go for a long walk from home, take a shower and change clothes right after.
2. Create a daily routine
Even though it's work from home, you can't work on a random schedule or just relax all day. It's a good idea to make a schedule for work, study, or other activities to keep your daily routine in order. This method will keep you productive and avoid cabin fever.
For example, keep getting up and showering in the morning, so that your body is refreshed and your mind is clearer. After that, you can do your homework, then have lunch and rest at the same time as when you were in the office.
Besides being able to make you more lazy, work from home can also make you often overtime without realizing it. So, try to be productive during working hours and stop working when working hours are over.
Outside of work hours, you can spend your time doing activities that you enjoy, such as gardening in your yard, playing with pets, reading books, cooking, or playing a musical instrument.
3. Maintain communication with others
Keep it regular to chat over the phone or face to face on video call with friends, lovers, or family who don't live with you. Keeping in touch in the midst of this pandemic will make you feel like you're not alone, so you can also avoid cabin fever.
Sharing stories about how you feel with those closest to you can also be a way to relieve your heart and find solutions to the problems you are facing.
4. Eat nutritious food
One of the symptoms cabin fever What you need to be aware of is food cravings. This can lead to being overweight or even obese if you continue to indulge this urge by eating unhealthy foods just to satisfy cravings and indulge your taste buds.
Continue to apply a healthy diet, so that your body gets enough nutrition. That way, your health will be maintained and your immune system will also be stronger to fight germs, including the Corona virus.
5. Exercise regularly
Make sure you exercise regularly even if only at home, so that your body is fit and your mind is also healthy. There are many choices of exercise at home that you can do, for example treadmill, zumba, yoga, and muscle strength training. Do exercise regularly at least 30 minutes a day, yes.
If you're having a hard time exercising and need some guidance, there are plenty of exercise tutorials available online, how come.
Cabin fever can result in decreased productivity, relationship problems with others, and even physical and mental health problems. Before this happens, take the steps above to prevent and overcome cabin fever.
Use the time and opportunity while you are at home to develop your skills by learning new things, completing work that has been neglected for a long time because you are too busy, and strengthening relationships with your children, spouse, and family.
If you feel symptoms cabin fever severe or does not recover even though you have done the methods above, try consulting a psychiatrist or psychologist by using the consultation facility on line in the ALODOKTER application.
