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Covid

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Original poster

Do you have cabin fever?

43 replies

User133847 · 04/03/2021 08:44

Do you have cabin fever? And when did it really kick in?

Obviously the last year has been very tough. I was okay personally last summer. It was enough of a novelty, I like being at home, the weather was great and a lot of things were open from July. You could sit in the pub/beer garden all day if you wanted. You could enjoy a day at the beach, an afternoon in a coffee shop, an evening at a restaurant etc.

Then another few tough months from October to December as the virus picked up and all the attention was on Christmas. January and February were horrible, but personally I didn't want to go anywhere then anyway. Tens of thousands dying from Covid in January and the weather terrible, I was happy to be sat at home safe and sound, protect the NHS etc.

As we've now reached 12 months of this, the cabin fever is really kicking in as the weather picked up. I'm sick of the sight of the same four walls, the same walks, the same daily grind, trying to find the motivation to log my laptop on in the morning and work for 8 hours from home, 5 days a week. Then log off on a Friday evening knowing i'll be doing bugger all until Monday morning.

I'm desperate for a change of scenery and a bit of enjoyment from life again.

OP posts:

wizzywig · 04/03/2021 08:45

Absolutely totally. I just want to go out without masks, stay in hotels, do whatever

BobsDouble · 04/03/2021 08:54

Yes, very much so.

I have dogs and like to go for walks and explore new places. Instead it’s the same one or two walks where we live day in day out.

I’ve also not been able to drive since a December because of a broken limb so I haven’t even had the excitement of going food shopping to break up the week.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 04/03/2021 08:57

Yes. I do work out of the home so I do get a change of scenery (haha) but I've actually started to dread the weekends when I know I'll just be sitting home all day.

emmathedilemma · 04/03/2021 08:59

I have a seriously case of it! I'm used to working in different places, going away to see friends and family at weekends, gym, activity clubs etc.....I'm desperate to get out of here and see people!!

pawsbaws · 04/03/2021 09:03

@wizzywig

Absolutely totally. I just want to go out without masks, stay in hotels, do whatever

Somebody will be along here in just a moment telling you that you’ll have to wear your mask for ever.

Livpool · 04/03/2021 09:06

Definitely- I work from home too and I am sick to death of my kitchen. I have a desktop and 2 monitors from work so I can't even move anywhere else to work.

DH went to the supermarket the other day and I went along - to just sit in the car. And wait for him. It was wonderful!

RampantIvy · 04/03/2021 09:08

Yes. The highlight of my week is the weekly visit to a supermarket.

AlfonsoTheTerrible · 04/03/2021 09:24

Yes. I want a change of scene!

frozendaisy · 04/03/2021 09:25

Cabin fever
Garden fever
Walk fever
People fever
Housework fever
Cooking cleaning laundry online shopping fever.........

LizzieMacQueen · 04/03/2021 09:27

@Waxonwaxoff0

Yes. I do work out of the home so I do get a change of scenery (haha) but I've actually started to dread the weekends when I know I'll just be sitting home all day.

Exactly! I used to look forward to the weekends; now it's the other way round.

Hollyhead · 04/03/2021 09:28

Yep absolutely. I don't know anyone who is following the rules to the letter anymore though. Most people have brought forward outdoor socialising in gardens/walks early - especially if vaccinated. The government should have anticipated that vaccinated people would be unwilling to be cooped up any longer.

LittleRen · 04/03/2021 09:29

Yes majorly, so I came back into the office two days a week and it's helped massively. We never really shut down this time with only people who had to WFH doing so, so it's lovely to have interaction with people outside of my household... and getting dressed up (it's a casual office but I go all out at the moment) is fabulous.

It's not normal to be stuck at home for so long... so it's understandable.

JemimaMuddledUp · 04/03/2021 09:30

Yes. I'm on the shielding list so have been hugely restricted in what I've been doing. I am sooooo fed up now.

I've been trying to make life at home more interesting, I've built new raised beds and a greenhouse in the garden to grow some vegetables this year and I'm doing an online Web Development course. But nothing really compares to actually leaving the house and doing fun stuff!

Walking the same route around my neighborhood definitely doesn't constitute fun.

zafferana · 04/03/2021 09:32

Yes! I volunteered as a vaccine centre steward just to get out of the house and away from my family for a few hours at a time 🤣

UserTwice · 04/03/2021 09:32

Yes, most definitely. I don't understand why so many people think that wfh is the holy grail - if you wohm you get to see other people and go to a different place.

I would say it set in about a week after lockdown started last March. By now I've literally found myself switching off - I just to the same things every day on autopilot.

At least I will get some vicarious interest from the DC going back to school.

Original poster

User133847 · 04/03/2021 10:11

@UserTwice

Yes, most definitely. I don't understand why so many people think that wfh is the holy grail - if you wohm you get to see other people and go to a different place.

I would say it set in about a week after lockdown started last March. By now I've literally found myself switching off - I just to the same things every day on autopilot.

At least I will get some vicarious interest from the DC going back to school.

I think to get the benefit of WFH you need a more active social life. Have places to go.and things to do at the weekend, see friends and family in the evening etc.

OP posts:

emmathedilemma · 04/03/2021 10:16

@User133847 I do all those things normally (I literally eat breakfast or dinner and not always both, shower and sleep at home pre-covid), would be away at least one weekend a month and/or have people to stay here, but I still wouldn't want to work from home 5 days a week. I've spent so long on MSTeams and zoom this week that I almost forgot what meeting i was in by yesterday lunchtime! I think it's really detrimental to business and personal development long term too, so much conversation happens in our office around new job opportunities, who needs work to do / has too much work to do, things that people are working on for other clients etc......and it's just not really happening when we're all remote and only having project / team specific meetings. I even have cabin fever with my work!!

Changeychange1 · 04/03/2021 11:08

I feel exactly the same.

RampantIvy · 04/03/2021 13:20

Yes, most definitely. I don't understand why so many people think that wfh is the holy grail - if you wohm you get to see other people and go to a different place.

I'm with you on this, but at the beginning of lockdown last year there were a lot of threads on MN from posters (who have admitted that they are very introverted) who were loving lockdown and working from home.

The novelty has worn off now, and while I get longer in bed in the morning I really miss seeing my workmates. I work in a lovely team, and we all support each other.

KeepWashingThoseHands · 04/03/2021 13:30

Yes I do. I was ok last year as weather was nice and managed to do enough normal things over summer. DC school wasn’t impacted last autumn term and whilst it was only us over Xmas, it was Xmas so special.

My mood and cabin fever really took in a hit in early Feb. Not seen family for nearly a year, home school and working, dark and cold, nothing to do etc. With schools going bad and having had my jab it can’t have come soon enough or I would have been in a bad way and I’m someone who’s normally very resilient and upbeat.

KeepWashingThoseHands · 04/03/2021 13:30

*going back

ComtesseDeSpair · 04/03/2021 13:41

January and February I found tough, more so than I was expecting. Combination of cold and dark, nothing to do, still quite a lot of uncertainty about when we’d see a chink of light and be able to plan for the future. A couple of days towards the end of January I just stayed in bed all day - incredibly unlike me. I really had to force myself to stick to my running schedule, which for me is always a sign of the sads setting in.

I found last year quite easy, tbh. April and May were novel and really quite exciting in some ways, the newness of WFH all the time, lots of Zoom catch-ups, enjoying quiet streets and springtime walks. Then July came and we were allowed to socialise as well as go to pubs and restaurants - so it was a lazy summer of drinks in the sun, picnics in the park, trips with friends. Autumn was still okay, still allowed to go out and about, to the pub, small dinner parties with friends and so on (I can’t even remember to be honest whether this was “allowed” at the time as I don’t really keep track of rules, but I’m sure somebody can advise and tell me whether I was a selfish granny killer or not.)

I’ve been really quite bouncy his past week or so, though. Loads of the festivals I attend have confirmed they’re going ahead in August, so I have a packed social calendar. I can see (5 of) my friends on my actual birthday of April 12th for restaurant terrace brunch and multiple celebrations. I can start going back to the office from soon after that, as well. Things are brightening.

MrsTophamHat · 04/03/2021 13:45

Oddly no, and it really concerns me tbh. First lockdown I definitely did. But this lockdown i've been WFH (on mat leave last year) and i find it worryingly easy to go days without crossing my doorstep. Sometimes the only place I will go in a whole week is to pick the children up from nursery. I think it's because there is always something needing doing either for work or home, so going for a walk by myself just seems indulgent.

This is my last WFH day and I am really ready to get back to it.

happymummy12345 · 04/03/2021 13:54

No not at all because I hardly go anywhere anyway, even in normal times. I literally go to my sons school (previously his nursery), and to my nail and eyebrow appointment once a fortnight. That’s it.

In the first lockdown I didn’t go anywhere at all from when it started until July when my son went back to nursery. Then when it was allowed I went to my appointment. The second lockdown obviously schools stayed open so I had to go out. This third lockdown I haven’t been out since Christmas Day (which was to my dads house and we are in a support bubble anyway so agaIn no mixing happened). I will not go anywhere until I have to take my son to school, then go to my appointment. I literally have not left the house at all even once during either of the full lockdowns.

Nothing has changed for me because I'm used to being at home all the time anyway. I don't find it difficult to stay at home.

OldRailer · 04/03/2021 13:56

Mid February I really went downhill.

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