by Christopher Chatterton

Created on: November 10, 2010

Most people delight in the white winter landscape Mother Nature produces when it snows, but what happens when the snow makes you a prisoner in your own home?

Cabin fever is a generic term for the anxiety disorder Claustrophobia, which can occur when people are snowed in to their homes for a prolonged period.

A person exhibiting symptoms of cabin fever, or claustrophobia, will appear distressed, anxious and irritable. Other symptoms will include, sweating, trembling, a shortness of breath, a rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), nausea and dizziness, as well as an overwhelming desire to escape the confined space (Briers, 2009).

So, with the snow piled up against your door, and the realisation that you can't escape, how do you beat cabin fever when you are snowed in? Here are seven suggestions to cope with the associated anxiety, and activities to occupy your time and your mind.

1) Accept the situation.

Staying calm in any crisis is difficult but particularly important when you are snowed in. If you are indeed snowed in then attempting to leave your home in frustration will not only be futile, but could also be dangerous. Any roads that are still serviceable will be slippery and impassable, meaning that if you fall and hurt yourself ambulances will find it difficult, if impossible to reach you.

Secondly, becoming aggravated and frustrated will exacerbate the situation and could make you feel depressed, making the isolation feel even longer. Accepting the situation is not giving in to it, it is the best, and most constructive method of dealing with any enforced isolation - besides how are you going to shift several tons of snow?

So, now that you have realised that there is absolutely no way to get outdoors for the foreseeable future, what should you do next?

2) Tune in to local television and radio stations

Local television and radio stations are tailor-made to disseminate weather and travel information for your local area. Providing the signal to your home has not been affected by the snowfall, tuning in to local stations can give you important information on when the weather will lift, and where the local emergency points of contacts are. In addition to this, hearing a familiar voice on the radio will boost your spirits, and make you feel as if you’re not alone, which is very important when you are snowed in.

In particular, local radio stations may have phone-ins where you can learn of how your neighbours and other local residents are faring being

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