- Coping with ‘Cabin Fever’ 2020 - April 23, 2020
By Maximillian Treece-Noran
After a month of sheltering in place, the mental and spiritual effects of COVID-19 isolation measures are starting to appear.
Among those concerned is 21-year-old Fairbanks native Kaitlin Peryea, “I do believe the state should be more active in helping people combat cabin fever.’
Many are turning to on-demand video streaming websites, such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and more. This puts a large strain on local internet services and the infrastructure supporting streaming sites. That can lead to interruption or loss of service, leaving people unsure where to turn.
Peryea, who has worked for local TV news stations KTVF & KXDF, contends that agencies may need to get involved. “The government, or some type of organization, should cobble together offline activity ideas that people can make or do themselves.’ She’s worried not just about internet users, but elderly who may not even be connected.
However, not everybody holds these fears. Cassandra Davis, 40s, misses the smaller things in life. “My granddaughter was born during the lockdown, I haven’t been able to see her yet. I haven’t been able to see my children in general; they can’t visit anymore.’ This is just another story out of many, thousands of people across the state are coping with spreading statewide impact of the virus-induced cabin fever. 
(CDC website, 2020)
Another side of this lockdown story involves those working from home. “My sleeping schedule has begun to slip out of the normal 9-5,’ said Daniel Walker, a media content creator for UAF’s Geophysical Institute. The human body can suffer physically as well as mentally from abnormal sleeping schedules, potentially making Walker’s cabin fever worse. Combined with days stretching ever longer in the land of Midnight Sun, achieving a normal sleeping schedule amid pandemic stress stands to become ever more difficult.
Some four months Covid-19 began spreading a lot has changed since it first started. Many stores are closed, shelves occasionally empty at those that remain open, most gatherings are canceled, some distilleries are making hand sanitizer instead of liquor now. This is a difficult time for the entire world, financially, personally, emotionally. Nobody knows when this will end, nobody knows how many will die. However, in the words of Peryea, “Keeping your chin up, and taking it one day at a time will help us all through these trials”.