In-Sanity
Is it still snowing where you are? It is here in Colorado. With eight of us living in one average-size house, cabin fever can strike easily and often. Even if you don’t live in a climate that can snow you in, you can succumb to cabin fever. In the lovely Pacific Northwest, we’d have days and days (and days and...) of rain. When we lived in the Nevada desert, temperatures sizzling over 110 degrees kept us inside for long stretches. Virginia Beach weathers a lot of storms with power outages that severely curtail activity options. Or, maybe you’ve broken your leg or are immobile for other reasons. No matter why you’re stuck indoors, I bet there are times when you reach the limits of your sanity.
Take a deep breath. Let it out. There are ways to survive.
Relax. If you’re one of those go-go-go types, maybe this gift of time is your chance to sit still. Pop in a video or watch the TV show you usually miss. Read that book you bought three months ago and haven’t opened yet. Do you have a hobby that your busy schedule forces you to neglect? Sit down with it. Do you enjoy sleeping in or always wish you could take a quick nap? This is the perfect time for it. Because you’re the go-go-go type, you probably have a hard time relaxing. My advice (since I have this trouble myself)? Do not use this time to catch up on chores, work, etc. You hardly ever get free time–take advantage of it. Besides, if you really do have this problem, catching up on a few tasks won’t help you feel less busy.
Indulge. Do your days consist of meeting obligations–work, family, household, volunteer, etc? Then now you can devote time to yourself. In past columns I’ve discussed ways to pamper yourself–lounge in a hot bath, write in your journal, putter at your workbench. The key here is to do something that meets your needs and wants. Pretend you’re not married, don’t have children, do not have to work. Get rid of all the people and situations that demand time and energy from you (in your imagination, of course!). What would you be doing? So what are you waiting for?
Tune Out. Do you have a high-stress job? A high-stress relationship? Or maybe you’re just a high-stress person. Here is your gift of time to luxuriate in quiet. Turn off the TV, the radio, the computer. Ignore the newspaper, the doorbell, the phone. If you don’t live alone, put on headphones and play soothing music to shut out the world. Write letters, do puzzles, just sit still. Burrow under the covers and read. Scrounge up a pair of binoculars and watch the birds or the
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