Making the Most of Cabin Fever, Corona Style

I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains where the winters were brutally cold and long. One of the most common features of Adirondack life is isolation. If you look at a map of NY state, there is a blank part where there are no lights and few roads in an area bigger than the state of New Hampshire.

Every year, starting in the bitter cold of February, and leading into March when you hear of other places thawing out, cabin fever would set in. It’s not that you couldn’t go outside, it’s just that going outside was not something you do lightly. It takes preparation and thought. You had to have a purpose other than to feel your breath freeze to your eyelashes.

Even though I’m not in an area that is officially in lockdown, I feel like I’m back in Cabin Fever, and you might too. I’ve spent the last 17 years of my working life in my home office, but suddenly this year I feel a little hemmed in. And tomorrow, we’re supposed to get hit with a bunch of snow. Just like old times except we have a great internet connection, as long as the phone battery lasts.

I’m assuming you’ve got all the professional tips you need for working at home. By now you’ve got 9 months experience or more. But lockdown is a rare kind of isolation. It’s just you and whatever/whoever you have in the house with you at the moment to keep you from going nuts. Anyone who has really lived this kind of isolation knows to plan for it, so I’m warning you, you may see parts of your personality you haven’t seen before. Cabin Fever is a real thing. Compound corona virus with a big snow storm, and you may be wishing you had planned ahead.

Here are some things you can do to help you deal with extended or severe isolation:

Take on a fun modeling project

Try something that you’d never do at work. Learn skills that you don’t use at work, just to expand your range a little. I did this bike that I used to ride as a kid just to refresh some skills a couple of years ago. Try some rendering, or surfacing, or sheet metal, weldments, plastic parts. There’s got to be an area of the software that you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t had time for.

Learn a (new) musical instrument

For most people, this is totally out of the mainstream from your regular routine, and can be extremely diverting and become a very relaxing hobby. You can learn something simple like the recorder, harmonica, melodica , ukelele, or something more complex like the hammer dulcimer, electronic wind controller or euphonium. Of course if you live with other people and there are knives in the house, you may want to avoid stuff like bagpipes and accordions. There are inexpensive options that range from under $100 to intermediate and pro gear that goes for thousands. Anyway, check it out.

Take up creative writing

You don’t have to become John leCarre overnight, the best way to get into creative writing is to just write about something that happened to you, and embellish on details. Show, don’t tell, let an example of something interesting play out. Write letting your stream of consciousness just flow, then go back and edit it later. Writing rarely makes sense the first time. It can be fun, a release from your everyday routine.

Play Chess, board games, or puzzles

My wife watched that Queen’s Gambit series. Chess has become very popular again. It can be fun, keeps your brain active, and brings you closer to other people. Same with board or card games. Anything to keep you active and interacting with people.

Woodworking or a home improvement project

Many people find this kind of activity to be not only fun, but also productive, and it can save you some money. Working with your hands is a great offset from working with our heads that some people do all day. A few tools, some supplies, and a corner of the house the needs something new!

Trying something new can be a great way to keep you from burning out when you get in a rut or when isolation starts to gnaw at your soul. Go a little way out of your usual comfort zone, try something you’ve only dreamed of before, or always wanted to do. If nothing else, it will be a fun story for later.