Cabin Fever Time

“How we spend our days is how we spend our life”
-Anne Dillard

It is snowing again today – the day after Valentine’s Day. Winter days get very long this time of year, and we all seem to be experiencing cabin fever to some extent. But there is comfort in knowing with each passing day spring will soon arrive. We have been spoiled by mild winters, but the kind of winters I remember 25 and 50 years ago were harder with a lot more snow. This year’s Farmer’s Almanac predicted the cold and snowy weather this winter.

It seems cabin fever has been on everyone’s mind this past week. It is a very real thing. Longer periods of confinement can lead to being irritable and listless or feeling isolated. Boredom from being indoors for lengthy amounts of time can leave us un-motivated, unhappy and lethargic on these bone-chilling days of ice, cold and snow and wondering when it will end. There is a genuine syndrome linked to these days called S.A.D.: Seasonal Affective Disorder. 

When we sense it affecting us after a couple of days it is time to do something about it. Most of us don’t have the option of going someplace warm on a beach for the winter, and many of us stay inside a lot because of the ice and snow, so finding alternative things to do to take our mind off cabin fever is the best way to cope with it. Each day look for something different to do that changes the routine and gives us something to look forward to. Some days I will do nothing but curl up with a cozy blanket and read a good book, another day I might plan my summer garden by looking through the seed catalogs and making out an order for new things to plant, or treating myself to a mocha latte I make myself while staying inside, or working on a scrapbook. There are days I may need to call or email a close friend as a way of connecting. I strive to keep the cabin fever at bay and not letting it take too big a hold on my psyche. And yet, knowing it is part of the season we live in, I honor it by working with it the best I can.

With the cold, ice and snow we have had to postpone three winter classes and cancel a few groups (for the first time in 5 years we’ve been open). Being in a class with others is a good way of connecting this time of year also. We are not alone in experiencing Cabin Fever.

If you like gardening or want to know more about want to plant, there are a couple spots left in my Healing Garden class –planting in a pot or plot. If you have a big area or just a pot, you can grow some favorite plants and I prefer growing the plants that heal mind, body and spirit.
It is an enjoyable class. (I’ll be sharing many tidbits of information). The class is now scheduled for the morning of March 16th.

Laura’s class on Spiritual and Holistic Care of the Dying is good for caregivers as well as having directives and other considerations for ourselves someday. This will be an excellent class from someone who has learned Soul Midwifery in England. There are a couple spots left in this March 16 afternoon class.

And another class I highly recommend is learning about a new way of eating called the “Keto Way,” which can reset the body and transform it from the inside out -- with a side benefit of losing weight. The benefits of this way of eating will surprise you in many ways. I am a believer in it, as many are.
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These are all good ways to beat cabin fever. I would love to know what you do to help with cabin fever this time of year. Please post ideas in the comments section below.
And in the meantime, a reminder to read the February chapter in Gatherings from the Good Earth, my book which was published late last year. The 350- pg. book follows the months of the year and is available at the shop (signed- see website) or on Amazon.
 
Make these cabin fever days your favorite days. Winter will soon be over.
February Blessings, Twila

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Twila Fairbanks is the author of Gatherings from the Good Earth: A month-to-month collection of musings, folklore, recipes and more.  She has used and studied herbs for many years, and she uses the Wise Woman tradition to teach healing from the plants. Twila lives a simple life in the woods, close to nature.  She is a “granny-woman” and Earth Mother.  Her passions are many, including:  country medicine-maker, gardener of herbs, flowers & organic veggies, wool worker with needle & hook, and dyer of wool and other natural fibers.  She loves to share “words of wisdom” she’s gathered from many who walked before her, including her elders and teachers through the years.