It's contagious, and regardless of whether you live in the Land of the Midnight Sun, amid blizzards or where football season is drawing to a close, the ravages of nature's extremes lurk in the darkness. Yes, it is called Cabin Fever and how to reason with this phenomenon takes planning, foresight and fortitude. So before you slip from motivation into hibernation, bring out the Ouija Board, polish your cowboy boots and stock up on videos, chocolate and playdough.

Around the world people are plotting and planning their strategy to thwart this annual insidious winter-time fever that brings on claustrophobia, depression, and boredom. In Fairbanks, when temperatures dip to fifty below, children are gleeful when snow sledding and freeze-tag are followed by snorkeling in the swimming pool and blizzards are so powerful that Grandma's stove blows sideways.

Around the Chesapeake Bay watershed where the temperatures are more mild, these Alaskan experiences make memories of the area's 2003 blizzard seem as soothing as the fluffy marshmallow foam oozing over a cup of steamy hot chocolate. Now there's a savory tip on how to reason with Cabin Fever season.

The "fever" is inevitable, and so are the house-bound blues. Before you become edgy and irritable, make a Cabin Fever Remedy Plan with your significant other, your kids, grandkids and neighbors. Try something new, like writing a 60-day remedy list. Does comfort food come to mind? With mindfulness, eating when stressed or bored can be a healthy activity. A daily pot of simmering soup or stew on the stove, homemade bread topped with peach jam from the church fair and Aunt Cac's gingerbread pudding stack right up there with meatloaf, mashers and stewed tomatoes on my list.

Other ways to mitigate the long, grim hours are to sharpen your ice skates with anticipation of a weekly round at the rink, browse catalogues and take a trip to purchase knitting patterns and yarn. Not your cup of tea? Then rev up your horsepower with a Basic Motorcycle Safety course and attend a rally. Hankering to write a poem? Get pen in hand and submit your work for the yearly Cowboy Poetry Gathering. For you readers chomping at the bit to enliven your environment with color in all things, head to the U.S. locations of Natchez and Vicksburg for their annual "shop 'til you drop" events. Other fever remedies around the planet include Chain Saw Carving Competitions, birdfeeder and bat house construction, and Polar Bear crawls, lunges and plunges. It's scary, but the Indie tongue-in-cheek horror film "Cabin Fever" may shock you into sending Cabin Fever Greeting cards to friends and loved ones.

To conquer some of the dis-ease of Cabin Fever, take stock of the clutter in your cabin. Stacks of yellowed magazines, dust-coated collectibles and dated clothes in your wardrobe may be undermining your positive thoughts and emotions, thus contributing to your "fever." Clearing your clutter can help bring about harmony and balance in your cabin.

Feng Shui's #1 rule is easier said than done. Getting started is key. Here's a tip. Make two lists. One list contains tasks that can be accomplished in 15 minutes, such as organizing the holiday decorations before you return them to storage and alphabetizing your spices, if you must. A weekend list is filled with projects that require an hour or two of your time and energy. Bigger chores include organizing the basement or garage, and sorting through your child's unused toys and deciding together how to put them back in service by giving them away or donating them. Supporting charity is a great way to reason with the season.

Even though the best Cabin Fever cure is to stay busy, if "activity stuff" adds to your "fever," you can kick back, listen to the river and watch the deer amble by. Or more to the point, close your eyes and envision your body basking in sunlight, your hair fluttering in a warm breeze and your toes nestled in the white sand of the Caribbean. If all else fails, build a cabin--you are guaranteed to break a sweat at ten below. Or, crank up some Buffett, wiggle into your flipflops and mix a margarita-a sure way to cure a Cabin Fever Daze. Most of all, remember to celebrate, love and laugh. Your fling with spring is just around the corner.

Yarrow is a public speaker and contributing author to The Spirit of Women Entrepreneurs - Real-life Stories of Determination, Growth & Prosperity. Buy the book at www.FengShuiAtTheBay.com to learn about your "Three Feminine Trump Cards" and receive free tips to stay on track with your journey.

She delivers inspirational, motivational and humorous workshops, lectures and seminars to young women, "women of an age" and people seeking more out of life. Topics include: Three Feminine Trump Cards Already in Your Deck; Manage Your Personal Energy; and a Corporate Wellness Program "Chi Flow Grows Cash Flow©." She is also co-author of The American Bed & Breakfast Cookbook.

To book Yarrow as a keynote speaker for your conference, retreat or event, contact her at www.FengShuiAtTheBay.com or 410.271.1377.

Yarrow is a certified Feng Shui Practitioner and lives in Annapolis, Maryland in a 50s cottage within spitting distance of the Chesapeake Bay. Her winter-time activities include "fighting the fever" by making snow angels and Eskimo ice cream. For more information, Yarrow can be reached at 410.271.1377.

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