How I’m Trying To Fight Cabin Fever With Psoriatic Disease

Are you experiencing cabin fever already? It’s been eight or more weeks since we were all told to stay home and practice social distancing. The first week or so was great, got to sleep in, do some spring cleaning, tried out a new salmon dish, and of course, unlimited Netflix until my eyelids became heavy.

The stress that comes with psoriatic disease

The stay-home-magic soon lost its appeal once I noticed myself waking up later and later every day, and how weekdays seemed to morph into weekends. If you have psoriasis, stress can wreaks havoc on our condition. The cycle can cause flare no matter what medication we are on.

The sudden disruption to my daily routine was beginning to take its toll and I was really struggling to cope. I was lifeless and couldn't find any motivation to get things done.

The only saving grace was knowing that I wasn't the only one experiencing this. Friends around me were talking about the same thing too. It was time to create a new routine and stop complaining or wishing that things would go back to normal anytime soon.

Overcoming cabin fever

Before I sign-off for the night, I prepare a mental checklist of what I’d like to do the next day. Anything else that I do beyond this list would be a bonus. Knowing that there’s something to look forward to when I awake, I seem to sleep better.

• Research new things
• Watch a motivational or mindfulness talk on YouTube
• My daily workout for the day

Being forward-looking

Just the other day, my husband and I were talking about doing a picnic once we can get outside again, and discussing the foods to prepare was enough to lighten the mood and uplift my drooping spirits.

I’m an anti-sandwich picnic person. What shall we bring other than a bottle of wine for my husband? How about potato salad, stuffed bell peppers, grilled asparagus, cheese, and crackers.

Of course, I said yes to everything. My husband’s good in the kitchen, so he can prepare food. The catch there was that even though we don't know for sure if we’ll get to do this in 2 weeks or 2 months; it’s at least something to look forward to.

Focus, distraction & boundaries

Centralize on what you need to get done and help yourself remain in that zone by eliminating your distractions altogether. If phone notifications are breaking your concentration, then it’s time to put it away. TV dialogue being an annoyance to your curiosity; remove yourself from it.

When you set boundaries on your time, you’ll be pushed to be more productive and eventually free yourself up for other things. In other words, return discipline to your everyday habits. Even break time should be taken seriously.

We need to be present. Remember these three words: focus, distraction, and boundaries.

Plan to be present to avoid cabin fever

There is a real temptation to also be lazy with our meals. Sleeping sometimes can lead to a late lunch followed by a late dinner or worse, maybe skipped meals. Please don't do that to yourself; your well being always takes precedence.

Let us all plan to be present and avoid going through the motions with anything that requires our attention. Each day we find ourselves thinking about who we are, where we been, where we are going, and most importantly why things happen.

I don’t have an answer, but I do want to thank you so much for being here with me in these trying times. We are all in this together.