By Joanne Rae Ramirez
How does one cool down when infected with “cabin fever,” a condition wherein more than just temperatures rise?
The condition “cabin fever” used to refer to the feelings of isolation and other anxieties felt by those forced to stay locked up in their log cabins in the woods during a winter blizzard. Over time, it has become a condition afflicting more than just those trapped by a snow storm.
According to healthline.com, “cabin fever is a series of emotions or symptoms people experience when they’re confined to their homes for extended periods of time. This may be due to a variety of circumstances, such as a natural disaster, lack of transportation, or even social distancing for pandemics like COVID-19.”
With Luzon under lockdown for over 50 days now due to the worldwide pandemic, most of us have been rooted in one abode for far longer than ever before and showing definite signs of cabin fever.
“Think positive,” psychiatrist Dr. Angela Halili-Jao exhorts those feeling symptoms of cabin fever. “View the situation as an extra time for you to be able to do things at home that you were not able to do in normal circumstances because you had to be in your workplace.”
Businessman Ton Concepcion likes to think of this lockdown as “a chance to catch up with life!”
In addition, Dr. Jao urges all those with cabin fever to “make a list of activities that you would like to achieve — like complete house cleaning, organizing your bills in a folder, arranging your closet, pursuing a new hobby, learning to make do-it-yourself face shields or face masks, learning new recipes, streaming movies, or downloading games for the kids, etc.”
My Assumption classmate Alexandra “Sandy” Lamb-Moran, who lives in a high-rise in BGC, not only conducts and facilitates leadership programs online, she also attends ZOOMba classes! In addition, Sandy has risen to the occasion with regard to the lockdown by learning to make bread from scratch, and seems as proud of it as she would an online training program!
As Dr. Jao says, it wouldn’t hurt either if you “structure your day by maintaining regular hours like that of your working day.”
Both Doctors Jao and US-based psychiatrist Geraldine Mayor agree that exercise is beneficial.
“Make space for your physical exercise. Since you cannot go to the gym for now, improvise and use bottled mineral water as your dumbbells. Brisk walk around the house or garage, or go up and down the stairs during your designated exercise time.”
Writer Eauaua “Denise” Roco-De Leon, after years of being a “frustrated” gardener, has produced a lush harvest of fruits and vegetables in her backyard during lockdown. She has grown almost all the vegetables in the Tagalog ditty, Bahay Kubo.
My son Chino, a fitness buff, says there is an increase in participants in online exercise sessions during this period. Exercise not only helps you manage your weight, reduce heart diseases and manage your blood sugar, it also boosts mental health.
“Be creative with physical activity. Skip rope, use elastic bands for exercise, do stretching. Make it fun, play dance music. And if you and your household are game, break out into dancing,” encourages Dr. Mayor, who practices in Philadelphia and New Jersey.
Dr. Mayor suggests reaching out to others in need as a way of overcoming cabin fever. “Get involved in charitable activities. Giving is rewarding to the soul, not only to the recipient but also to the giver. Establish a personal connection, even just online, with the members of the community you are helping. You may be locked in a cabin, but your heart travels to places, and meets people with your reach-out activities.”
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Inside their “cabins,” some are wringing their hands in worry and spending sleepless nights because their loved ones are frontliners and have been living away from home. I know of a mother of a frontliner at the busy Philippine General Hospital (PGH) who begged her child not to report for work and said the family business would provide for her for the rest of her life. And the frontliner just looked at her mother with tears in her eyes, and carried on with her duties. She couldn’t and wouldn’t ignore the call of duty.
For the anxious loved ones of frontliners, Dr. Jao counsels, “To distract you from over thinking and over worrying, structure your day by making a task list or wish list. Have a regular schedule for waking up, eating, bathing, completing tasks, exercising, frequent handwashing, watching TV, going online, and sleeping. Find time to bond with family members at home while maintaining physical distancing when watching TV together.
“To help allay your anxiety about the safety of your loved one, who is a frontliner, stay in touch during his break time via Viber, FaceTime or Zoom.”
When cabin fever and the blues hit you, “Look out the window, enjoy your best view. Breathe in and out. Remember that there is still a world out there, with clearer skies and cleaner air since the lockdown,” Dr. Mayor concludes with a smile.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was first published in The Philippine STAR.
