How to Cope With Cabin Fever During Coronavirus

As coronavirus continues to spread across the world, more and more countries are introducing measures to keep people social distancing and staying in their homes.

Whilst Italy remains in quarantine, Spain has ordered a nationwide lockdown, whilst other countries encourage (or have since shut down) “non-essential businesses”, such as restaurants, cafes, cinemas and nightclubs.

With an increasing amount of the world’s population either encouraged or enforced to stay in their homes, many have begun to experience symptoms of cabin fever; distressed and irritable due to the recent isolation.

If you feel like you’re experiencing cabin fever, or concerned about it developing, we’ve created a list of top ways to help alleviate this:

• Living with others: lay down some ground rules
• Keep preoccupied and stimulated
• Exercise regularly
• Stick to your routine

For those who are isolating in their homes, these measures could be incredibly beneficial, and may help to prevent, or alleviate, the symptoms of cabin fever.

Living With Others: Lay Down Some Ground Rules

Specialists have suggested that when living with others in a self-isolated/quarantined environment, it may help to set some ground rules.

If you are remaining at home with your family or housemates, spending that much time in such a confined space can sometimes be distressing and cause irritability. 

You can help to reduce the risk of this happening by sitting down with your family/housemates, and discussing any potential challenges or issues that may arise.

Similarly, identifying any strengths in the group and playing to these strengths in a period of quarantine may greatly reduce the risk of cabin fever, and any distress caused by this. 

For example, if one person in the group is very organised, they might help to plan out the day and keep people preoccupied. If someone enjoys cooking whilst another prefers cleaning, this could also help to improve people’s experience during their time in the house, keeping everyone preoccupied whilst also doing their bit.

Keep Preoccupied and Stimulated

Another vital thing to consider is keeping yourself preoccupied and stimulated during this period of isolation/quarantine. Whilst TV can be engaging and enjoyable, it can also be fairly mindless.

Therefore, it may help to limit your time watching TV, and engage in other, more stimulating activities such as reading a book, playing board games, or doing a puzzle. By keeping your mind busy, you could make the time at home feel more productive, keeping things moving and reducing the risk of feeling isolated and stressed out.  

Keeping yourself busy can also make the time pass quicker, making things feel less stagnant.

Exercise Regularly

Although stuck inside the house, you can still keep your body moving! Not only is exercise important for your physical health, but it can also be beneficial your mental health as well.

Exercise has been shown to alleviate feelings of anxiety and stress, and can help to promote a sense of order to your life during this relatively unordered period. 

It can also help to make things feel more normal, bringing a sense structure common to your usual everyday life.

There are some great home exercise routines available online, as well as e-classes that can make you feel less isolated and lonely.

Stick to Your Routine

It can also be incredibly beneficial to stick to your daily routine as much as possible. If you’re working from home, this should be fairly easy to do. However, for those who are not working during this period, it might be good to come up with plans for the day.  

Having a mixture of enjoyable tasks and household chores can bring back some structure and normality to your everyday life. It can separate the days, and make you feel more productive, reducing the risk of feeling stagnant and isolated. 

Sticking to normal sleeping hours can also add structure and consistency to your life during this period. You may find it difficult to have regular sleeping hours, either due to previous conditions such as insomnia, or from the stress of the current situation of the pandemic.

Our heavy blankets can help to alleviate the symptoms often associated with insomnia and other sleeping issues. They work through the core principle of deep touch pressure stimulation, which helps to reduce feelings of restlessness and stress, and promotes relaxation, ultimately helping you to drift off.

We also offer weighted blankets for children, so everyone can enjoy the benefits of our products.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51892477

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51917562

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/spain-government-set-to-order-nationwide-coronavirus-lockdown

https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2020/mar/18/dealing-with-cabin-fever-during-coronavirus-isolation-video

https://www.sleep.org/articles/day-in-day-out-the-importance-of-routine-in-our-daily-lives/