Working from home definitely has its own perks and upsides. From reduced commute stress to being able to ensure a better work-life balance, it has a fair share of benefits to offer.
However, it also brings numerous challenges, one of which is cabin fever, which many people have been experiencing in recent times.
Have you ever experienced those never-ending negative and irritating Monday blues that just don’t seem to go away? Cabin fever is similar to that, but oftentimes worse.
Cabin fever is a state of mind, a series of psychological symptoms that people experience when they are confined indoors for extended periods of time. It results in feelings of isolation and being cut off from the world.
Lately, people all over the world have been working from home given the ongoing pandemic, which has led to cabin fever among most of them. Some of the most common symptoms and signs of cabin fever include:
- Boredom
- Restlessness
- Anxiety
- Impatience
- Hopelessness
- Depression
- Lack of motivation
- Irritability
If you’ve been experiencing any of these symptoms, you are likely suffering from cabin fever. However, the good news is that there are many ways to avoid cabin fever when working from home and manage its symptoms as well.
How to Avoid Cabin Fever When Working From Home
Cabin fever is very real, and it’s important for one to be able to avoid it in order to prevent feelings of stress, demotivation, and lassitude.
Take a look at a few effective ways that will help you avoid cabin fever when working from home.
Take Frequent Breaks throughout the Day
One of the easiest ways to deal with cabin fever is to take frequent breaks throughout the day.
Oftentimes, people get so busy with work, attending meetings and completing deadlines, that they either forget to take a break or simply don’t have the time for it. This is certainly going to end up in feelings of frustration, stress, and depression.
It is essential that you take a mini break after every hour at the very least and do anything that relaxes you and calms the mind. You can go out of the house for a stroll, eat something, watch a video, stretch your body, or even read a book.
The idea here is to get up, leave your work for a few minutes, get your blood circulating, and give your body a chance to relax.
Get Some Sun and Soak up Vitamin D
We all know that the sun is the best source of Vitamin D for our bodies, given how essential it is for optimal health.
However, when working indoors from home, many people tend to go on for days and weeks without getting any sun. This simply means that the body isn’t receiving enough vitamin D, which can make us feel lethargic, dull, demotivated, and many other things.
Moreover, exposure to sunlight significantly boosts serotonin, a hormone in the brain that is associated with our mood and feelings of calm and focus.
So, another way to avoid cabin fever when working from home is to get some sun and soak up vitamin D, either by going out of the house during the day or spending time on the balcony. Just do anything that will give you sunlight exposure which isn’t exactly a solution for cabin fever, but it will definitely boost your mood and help you manage the negative symptoms.
Set Goals and Plan Your Day Out
Oftentimes, cabin fever results from a lack of control that ultimately leads to feelings of depression and hopelessness. A lot of people experience a loss of control when working from home and being confined to a single space which contributes a great deal to cabin fever.
One way to deal with that is to set goals, plan your day out and develop well-thought-out routines. This will allow you to feel control of the situation, stay focused and be able to prioritize your daily tasks in terms of what’s urgent and important and what isn’t.
When you have a proper schedule or routine, you are able to structure your day, which helps keep all the stir-crazy feelings at bay. Moreover, you will be able to track your daily progress and will experience a great sense of control.
Create a Customized Personal Working Space for Yourself
If you live with other people, it’s extremely important for you to have your own personal space.
Working from home requires you to create a personal customized working space for yourself where you can experience and practice freedom, be away from distractions, and finish all your daily tasks at a much faster pace.
From repairing broken things to decluttering and rearranging furniture, do anything and everything you need to create a nice, quiet, personal space for yourself.
Get Out of the House
Among many other things, cabin fever primarily results from feelings of isolation and confinement. Working from home often leaves people feeling stuck. When that occurs people experience increased stress, depression, lack of motivation, and helplessness.
So, to prevent that from happening, get out of the house every day whenever you can manage between your work hours. After all, we already know that spending time outside around nature can help boost your mood, relieve stress, and improve overall feelings of well-being.
From walking around your block to going to a nearby park to grabbing a quick snack from your favorite food truck, take advantage of any opportunity that comes up to get out of the house.
Final Word
Cabin fever can seriously impact both your physical and mental health over time if you don’t do anything about it.
Try the above-mentioned options to avoid cabin fever when working from home and successfully deal with all the negativity attached to it.
A simple solution to avoid it is to actually get out of the cabin. But, if that’s not an option, there are so many things you can do right at home to help yourself feel better and do better.
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