Anybody else starting to get cabin fever?

[prolesunited]

It's been super cold and snowy. And, yes, I realize many of you have had it worse. I just dread leaving my house in the morning. I'm antsy and frustrated and starting to have that wanting to climb out of my skin feeling.

I'm doing better than in some previous years as I seem to have beaten the worse symptoms of SAD, which I'm prone to. I'm focusing more on proteins than carbs and not sleeping too much. I think working out nearly every day has helped.

However, I still am feeling trapped.

How are other people in colder climes feeling these days?
Anyone have any strategies, solutions, suggestions?

[trumad]

1. I'm going golfing

for those of you who make fun of Florida and it's hanging chads...:P :P

[GOPisEvil]

2. I was going to avoid this thread...

...but I can't. ;-)

Sorry...you can make fun of our heat and humidity in the summer, promise. :-)

[prolesunited]

4. All I can say is

:spank: :spank: :spank: :spank:

[GOPisEvil]

6. Hey - it might actually freeze here on Monday night.

I have to be out that night; I'll have to bundle up.

I know...:spank::spank::spank::spank:

[madmax]

7. Hey look!

It's poopy-pants ;)

[madmax]

3. Am I ever!

The last few years I feel that I'm only living half my life. The winter is a killer for me.

I try to keep upbeat by doing things I wouldn't feel like doing during the warmer months. Like cleaning out closets and organizing paper work.

[spinbaby]

5. The sun came out today

That gets us very excited here in Pittsburgh. I don't mind the cold so much as I mind that it's dark and overcast all the time.

[prolesunited]

11. I really think that is part of the problem

I remember one year I had it REALLY bad. One day in January, the sun came out, mind you it couldn't have been more that 10 or 12 degrees and there was a brisk breeze.

However, all I saw was the sun shining. I convinced my boyfriend at the time that it was the perfect day for a winter PICNIC outside. He was quite reluctant and thought I was insane to say the least, but I was cute and persistent about it so he decided to indulge me.

We went and got chicken (I still ate meat back then) and other fixins and hauled them out to a nearby forest preserve and spread them out on the picnic table. About five minutes into the feast, he started whining about how cold it was and that I must have totally lost my mind. I was upbeat and pretended all was well, but to be honest, I was freezing as well, but there was no way I was backing down. Silly pride. ;-)

I will say that I am NOT at this point yet. :-)

[tigereye]

36. Yesterday I said to my son,

look, a bright light in the sky! What could it be??!! It's the sun??!!!

a fellow Pittsburgher

then again, it can be like that here in the summer too. Lately I say to my husband... why do we live here again?

[Raven]

8. I'm in a log cabin in the woods in NH.

It's been a very rough winter thus far...mostly the cold. Now I don't have to go to work every day so that may or may not be a good thing. What I try to do is get outside every day no matter how bad the weather is...even for a few minutes. And I try to have a plan for the day...to accomplish at least one or two things. Think about the fact that it's getting lighter a little bit every day and that, once we get through February it will be downhill 'till Spring. Hang in there!

[twistedliberal]

9. Try to spend some time outside.

Even if it's really REALLY cold, like, say, 37 below (that is our forecast for tonight). Gear up in layers and go for a 20-minute walk, if nothing else. But when your nostrils freeze shut and you no longer dare to blink because your eyes might do the same thing it's a good idea to go inside.

That seems to help for me. (I don't like winter but try to make the best of it).

Can you go snowmobiling or skiing or anything like that?

[alwynsw]

10. I have a sure cure for it!

Use some of that new hot water and shower with a few of your closest friends - or make some new friends and shower with them! Why not invite strangers and become friends while showering?

Any way you do it, you'll forget the weather for a while.

[prolesunited]

12. Hmm...

Sounds like the best suggestion yet! :P Where do you live again? :hi:

[alwynsw]

15. Only 5 or 6 hours away, depending on the highway patrol

May I bring my wife as well? (Haven't we had this discussion before?)

[prolesunited]

16. Yes

and yes.

BTW, I think you brought it up the last time as well. Seems to me that you may be a bit preoccupied with the thought of me in a steamy shower. :P

[alwynsw]

41. I'm preoccupied with the thought of any woman in a shower

especially you! :evilgrin:

[prolesunited]

44. Awwww!

You say the sweetest things. :loveya:

[KensPen]

13. Actually I just rented it,

it sucked.

[fishnfla]

14. smelt season will be here soon nt

[Green Mountain Dem]

17. It sucks here too.....

We are in the Green Mountains of Vermont and had a foot of new snow overnight...and the temp has not been above freezing since Jan 4. Today the sun is shining but the wind is whipping making the "feels like" temp of -5F when it is actually 15 above. This winter has been the worse I can ever remember and I have had it...this will be the last one I experience as I make arrangements to sell everything here and move to the Southwestern desert country. Gonna sell my John Deere tractor and use the money to buy a horse in AZ so I can go for a daily ride and discuss worldly events with my friendly mount.

No one else listens to me (my wife says everytime I give my 2cents worth...I get change back) so maybe a more friendly ear, albeit somewhat captive, might improve my disposition. The John Deere just doesn't give a shit about my rants and sometimes I think it is a neocon.

So...do I have cabin fever ?????

[dolo amber]

20. Stupid Repuke vehicles...

:grr:

I feel the same way about my car.

After driving the big kid to school every morning, I listen to NPR and rant and rave and swear like a longshoreman...Do I ever even get so much as a friendly pat and a "there there now, it'll be alright." NO. It just drives along smoothly, humming quietly to itself, certainly grinning smugly under it's shiny white hood...BASTARD! :nuke:

I feel your pain. :hug:

;) <----Dolo Amber, trapped indoors since SATURDAY.

[Green Mountain Dem]

23. LOL...

Well I can assure you that the Deere does not grin...it prefers to BACKFIRE !! Especially after a Limbaugh rant...but actually that's not so bad cuz everytime it happens it scares the shit out of the repuke neighbor sitting on his deck listening to ClearChannel.

BWAHAHAHAHA !!! Fuck em if he can't take a joke.

[VelmaD]

25. Uhh...has anyone...

seen or heard from short bus since y'all have been trapped inside? :scared:

[jansu]

18. CABIN FEVER STRUCK IN CALIFORNIA!

We were snowed in here for three weeks, in California! Four of us in a small house, was not a pretty site! You can only play so many games and watch only so much TV. For entertainment, we shaved our heads....the next day my 17 year old daughter got up and looked in the mirror and said, "What the hell did I do to myself?!!!!"

They are calling for snow again tomorrow and the only thing I can think of doing, if cabin fever strikes again, is body piercing......but I hate pain. Guess I will just try taking some pills and hibernating like a bear, until the sun stays......see you in the Spring.

Several things help with winter blues....get yourself a full spectrum light bulb....one for each room. (RealGoods.com has them). This really works, and the light is much nicer than regular bulbs, makes it easier to pluck your eyebrows and do hand sewing, etc.. Make sure that you are taking vitamins and minerals, exercise your body and your mind and exchange e-mails and 'phone calls. Stay busy! Start your Spring cleaning in February! Why waste the glorious days of Spring, cleaning out your house?!!! Start some seeds indoors. The fastest and useful seeds are the herbs, you can start using them in a couple of weeks in your cooking. Buy yourself some flowering plants and place around your house. Learn a new craft! This is one of the better ones, because you will be cussing every mistake you make and you will forget to cuss the lack of sun!

Celebrate every extra minute of sunlight at the end of the day.....check your clock and compare to yesterday. Put the daylight gained on the calender and raise a toast to the sun! The Ancient people thought of the sun as a God....and they celebrated it!

Sunworshipers.....hmmmm....

[prolesunited]

19. Lots of great suggestions!

Thanks and welcome to DU! :hi:

Did you all really shave your heads? :shrug:

[jansu]

21. SHAVED HEADS!

Two days before, I had given my husband his haircut and he had complained that it was a little short! After seeing the three of us, (a son, a daughter and myself) with our shaved heads, he said, "Mine is just perfect...stay away from me with those clippers!" Chicken! He had shaved his head about three years ago,but did not like it (too much daily work to keep it looking good) and I had thought of doing mine also, but chicken out.....

YES, WE DID! It is about 1/2 inch long now.

[prolesunited]

22. Whoah!!!

You have it MUCH worse than me. LOL! My hair is fairly short, but I am NOT shaving my head.

What body piercings are you considering?

[jansu]

24. SIGNS THAT CABIN FEVER HAS STRUCK...

Considering? No! I am afraid that this might be the newest manifestation of this disease! Hair grows back, slowly if you are old! Holes are permanent and painful to do!

[notadmblnd]

26. Spanish Coffee.

It's my remedy, although I'm sick of winter too.

[pmbryant]

27. Bundle up and get outside!

5 degrees Fahrenheit there, I see. That won't kill you. Do it!

:bounce:

Beats it being 35 degrees and raining. So take advantage of the good weather while you have the chance. ;-)

--Peter

[prolesunited]

28. Are you suggesting I ride my bike!

But the ground is covered with snow and ice. :cry: :cry:

I did bundle up and go out and shovel yesterday. Didn't help. If the weather's not too bad this weekend, I think I'll go hiking at the Dunes. We'll see.

[pmbryant]

29. Walking was more what I was thinking about

Shoveling was definitely not what I had in mind! :spank:

--Peter

[prolesunited]

30. No, not too much fun there.

:-)

We'll see how the walking goes. I just bought a new winter coat ideal for any sporting activities. I almost bought a pair of ice skates as well. (Winter clearance sales.)

The only reason I didn't is because I didn't know how or where to get the blades sharpened.

[pmbryant]

32. Excellent

Sounds like you're well equipped, assuming you have decent boots. :-)

Meanwhile, I don't have cabin fever, but I'm stuck with a literal fever. I am sick of being sick. :-(

--Peter

[prolesunited]

33. You're sick?!?!

Poor baby. What do you have?

:hug:

[pmbryant]

37. Nothing out of the ordinary

Typical winter viral illness of some sort. It's just lasting a lot longer than I figured it would.

I'll be ok. Someday. :-)

:hi:

--Peter

[populistmom]

31. I've had cabin fever for 12 years

Get me out of here!!! :crazy:

[northofdenali]

34. Cabin fever, hmmm?

Generally, I'm immune - but I get outdoors a lot, especially this time of year, with the Yukon Quest starting on Feb. 14 (I'm a volunteer) and the Serum Run from Nome to Nenana on the 29th (friends are in the Run). I agree with many here - get outside for at least 20 minutes during the sunshine. We're gaining almost 7 minutes per day now!

I also add more veggies and fruit to our diets in winter, as well as sticking to lean protein like salmon and halibut, or moose and caribou.

SAD is especially vulnerable to winter sun! Bundle up, and get out of the cabin!

[MisterP]

35. no worries in CA:

summer's begun!
now we can sweat and swelter 11 months of the year!

[tigereye]

38. Here's what works for me

Lights on in every room. Lots of them. Cheaper than anti-depressants.

Go out. Breathe cold air. I got snowshoes for X-mas. My son and I clomped around the yard. Feels good.

Ice skating. Went with my son's school today despite wind chill.

Silly books and movies.

Comedy shows... on tape or elsewhere - recommend Bill Hicks ( really off beat sense of humor) and Sue Murphy.

Lots of "extracurricular activities" Well I mean sex.

Blast loud music of your choice - I work at home a lot, so it makes work more palatable

Best winter I have had in a long time

Hang in there.

[prolesunited]

39. Ice skating!

I want to do that again. When I was growing up, we had a lot across the street where they had dug the foundation but never built the house. It was as if the neighborhood kids had their own private ice skating rink. I would spend hours out their gliding and spinning.

Where do you get blades sharpened? Can you do that yourself? How?

And, alas, sex just doesn't seem to be on the list of available activities. :-(
But perhaps I can try some of the others. :-)

Thanks! And glad you're enjoying your winter. :hi:

[tigereye]

40. glad to be of help

since I tend to get the winter blues.. don't remember where to get skates sharpened. We rented them today at a local rink. I used to skate on a "pond" (actually it was probably a glorified ditch) in the small town where I grew up.

Always have enjoyed your posts since I started lurking a few months ago.

t

[buddhamama]

42. i try and lose myself

in books, movies and exercise.

in a couple of weeks i plan on taking a trip out of state, not far away so it'll still be cold where i'm going but at least i'll somewhere else being cold.

[Atman]

43. I took up snowboarding

Last winter, actually, for the same reason...snowed in. Going crazy. I surfed for years, so I figured I could make the most of winter, instead of just hoping it would just go away. But snowboarding, contrary to first-glances, is nothing like surfing.

(Note to others over 40...snowboarding hurts. A lot.)

So, I'm going on my first real-mountain trip of the season next Monday, and I haven't even got to try out my new board yet. So I expect I'll be hurting alot more come Tuesday as I make adjustments.

But, I'd rather die screaming, flying off the side of a snow-covered cliff, then spend another New England winter couped up inside getting fat.