Is the "cabin fever" real? And do you have it? Experts explain

This may not be an official medical diagnosis, but mental health experts say that cabin fever is real.


While quarantine mandates continue in a month of a month, people become more and more insufficient and anxious, often labeling their feelings like "cabin fever". You have probably heard about this term by passing at some point in your life, but it is likely that you have never given a lot of thought to its validity. And while cabin fever is not an official medical diagnosis, experts have ensured that it is as real as omnipresent during this period of thecoronavirus pandemic.

"The fever of the cabin is another way of calling for confinement," saysMargaret J. King, PhD, noting that it feels uninstature to humans because it goes against our nature to be free. "All that is imposed is a problem, especially for the Americans, whose first imperative (rule) is the mobility of freedom; if you are not mobile and you can not choose your location, even if C 'Is your own home - you are not free. It's going directly to our cultural grain, "she says.

The symptoms of cabin fever include claustrophobia, irritability, nerve energy and crushing feeling of being trapped. In addition, all these symptoms can, in turn, lead toIncreased anxiety and feelings of depression. However, the extent to which you feel the fever of the cabin depends on your personality, saysJudy Ho, Doctorate, host ofSupercharged life.

"People who are used to being lit all the time, people who are more extroverted or consider themselves more physically active will have more problems with that," says Ho. In addition, people diagnosed with a mental illness can find This time more difficult than the general population.

"The symptoms of cabin fever are examples of what mental health professionals would call" psychomotive agitation ", which is the kind of anxious agitation that leads to behaviors such as the pace of stimulation or conversation fast, "saysElizabeth Brokamp, LPC. Psychomotor agitations, according to Brokamp, ​​can sometimes - even if they are not always indicative of more serious psychological disorders. If you currently meet them, they are probably because of the lifestyle changes caused by the pandemic.

What can you do to find relief?

In addition tochat, Allow the fresh air of your home and do not sit for long periods, Ho suggests exploring your creativity and sculpting a space in your home that is only for you. "It's not forced to be an entire room; it could be a corner or table," she says. "If you create and sit in this space, you report your family, which I work or taking a break, that's where I have to be for the moment, and I would not want to be disturbed." "

Although keeping a schedule is important and provides a sense of standardization, Ho also suggests changing things from time to time. "If you usually exercise the first thing in the morning, answer it to the e-mail, go first - do it first by email, then to exercise," she says . In addition, Ho said toAvoid counting on your phone and your TV As your main sources of escape. "Try a lot of things on the waist,Learn to be entertained by yourself In your home, and see your home as a playground, "she says.

Another important factor in the successful management of your cabin fever tries to be as patient as possible with the people around you. "Once you are irritable and you have an argument, you may not feel like you're if you have room to turn away," says Ho. "But I think that the rules of good communication Always applies: ask for space. "When you do it, however, tell the person when you come back, rather than disappearing for an unknown time, she says.

The global take-out taking is to give you and others - a break. Take into consideration that, to a certain extent, everyone feels trapped and anxious. Ho says to get the most out, and try putting a positive turn about what you feel in telling you: "It's a security for me and my community. I protect myself and others by doing that."

For more expert advice on managing the effects of social distance distancing, see 17 mental health councils for quarantine therapists .


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