Cabin Fever Cure

5 Ways to Revitalize Your Relationships

Let’s face it you never signed up for full time living with your spouse and kids.  You expected there to be daycare, school and work to broaden the circle of supports and to grow according to our gifts.  Living and working together is very challenging and in some cases frightening. 

Familiarity breeds contempt which means that the more you see a person do the things that annoy you, the more likely you are to criticize or focus on the things that bother you. This may bleed into wider criticize and a desire for distance you can’t find. You now have Cabin Fever.

5 ways to cure Cabin Fever are.

1. Live in the Gift. Imagine a pie with 1 piece missing. When you live in the gift you live and eat delicious pie.  No need to take a slice of no pie, because there is nothing there. When you live in the gift with family members it is a commitment to see the best in each other and overlook shortcomings.  It is about helping each other to get the time or things that they need to be the best they can.   I met a mother of a 6 year old who was contemplating divorce and was concerned about her daughter.  When she learned about Living in the Gift she took the concept home.  She and her husband agreed to live in the gift.  If one of them got negative, the other could ask “Are you living in the sliver?”  This was enough to remind them to shift to the positive and supportive perspective.  Today their marriage and family are strong, resilient and thriving.
2. You can’t feed the hungry from and empty bowl.  Make sure you take care and recharge yourself.  If you are not getting the alone time or the friend time, talk to your family about carving out time for you.  Many people get angry at others because they themselves need some me time.  Me time is important so that you can be the parent or spouse for your family.
3. Move to Groove! Get out and exercise, even if you don’t feel like it or it is hard.  Our bodies get depressed and lack energy when we are sedentary. This often leads to mental depression.  The simplest way to reverse depression is with movement, activity and spending time focused on something other than yourself.  For those living alone, a walk and simple ‘hi’to those along the way can do wonders at shifting your mood.
4. Joy Journal grows flowers.   Living in the gift is about celebrating what you do have.  Gratitude for the smallest things can change your mood and refocus your perspective on what you do have.  I have a home, food to eat, the flowers are beautiful, my children are learning and healthy, I enjoyed our movie night last night are examples of gratitude. Sharing your gratitude and joy with family members and friends can remind them as well.  Keep a joy journal for reminders.
5. Love one another, forgive one another, support one another, and enjoy one another.  It can be very challenging to shift to living in the gift especially if you have been living in the sliver.  Start small even if it feels fake in the beginning, with time you will be living in the gift and enjoy the very best in each other.  You are wonderfully made and so loved.