Story highlights Peggy Drexler: Winter storm shuts us in, but also forces us to slow down, yield to something out of our control

She says it's a good opportunity to help neighbors, give and receive human kindness

Peggy Drexler is the author of "Our Fathers, Ourselves: Daughters, Fathers, and the Changing American Family" and "Raising Boys Without Men." She is an assistant professor of psychology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and a former gender scholar at Stanford University. The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers.

(CNN) You've likely heard by now: There's some serious winter weather happening in the Northeast.

No question, extreme weather -- and in particular snow -- presents a serious physical challenge. It's almost impossible to get around, or even leave the house, at least not safely. But that's what makes it a legitimate psychological challenge, too. Short of evacuation, there is no escape -- no matter how hard you try. It presents an ever-rarer situation in which your fate, or at least your day, is almost entirely out of your hands.

Depending on your personality, and how much you need to get done, this fact can range from mildly frustrating to rage-inducing. If you are homeless, elderly or living in substandard housing, extreme weather presents a whole different set of sometimes harrowing challenges -- and it's, of course, up to our government officials, and the charitable among us, to keep you warm and safe.

But if you are lucky enough to be stuck in your comfortable home, recognize that there are real advantages to being snowed in.

Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Paul Hammer updates the sign in front of his nursery in Mansfield, Connecticut, on Tuesday, March 14. Hide Caption 1 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Cherie Burke contends with blowing snow in Portland, Maine, on March 14. Hide Caption 2 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast A person crosses the street in New York's Times Square on March 14. Hide Caption 3 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast People struggle to walk in Boston on March 14. Hide Caption 4 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Yvonne Mouskourie makes herself comfortable after her morning flight to Florida was canceled in Newark, New Jersey. Hide Caption 5 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Metro North employees clear the snow off the platform at the Greenwich Station in Greenwich, Connecticut, on March 14. Hide Caption 6 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast A person walks past the Washington Monument on March 14. Hide Caption 7 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Traffic lights and a street sign sway in heavy winds in Sea Bright, New Jersey, on March 14. Hide Caption 8 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Taryn Hallweaver and her dog, Willy, walk in Portland, Maine, on March 14. Hide Caption 9 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Jason Roy clears the windshield of a small plow being used to clear snow at City Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts, on March 14. Hide Caption 10 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Workers clear debris after a tree branch fell on a parked car in Baltimore on March 14. Hide Caption 11 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Blaine Webb helps a transit employee shovel out a bus in Spring City, Pennsylvania. Hide Caption 12 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast A vehicle makes its way through a normally busy intersection in Yonkers, New York, on March 14. Hide Caption 13 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Terminal C at Logan International Airport was nearly empty as the snowstorm began to enter the Boston area on March 14. Hide Caption 14 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Waves pound the seawall in Scituate, Massachusetts, on March 14. Hide Caption 15 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast A subway station that services an above-ground train is closed in New York on March 14. Hide Caption 16 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Workers in Washington clear snow on Capitol Hill on March 14. Hide Caption 17 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast A man crosses South Broad Street in Philadelphia on March 14. Hide Caption 18 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Ferries depart the Newport Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, on March 14. Hide Caption 19 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast Snow rises up to mailboxes outside Union Dale, Pennsylvania, on March 14. Hide Caption 20 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast The "Fearless Girl" statue faces Wall Street's charging bull sculpture in New York. Hide Caption 21 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast A man looks at train cancellations in Philadelphia on March 14. Hide Caption 22 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast A National Park Service employee shovels snow at the White House on March 14. Hide Caption 23 of 24 Photos: Late winter snowstorm hits Northeast A worker clears the sidewalk in front of Boston's Museum of Science on March 14. Hide Caption 24 of 24

For example: for those people who thrive on order, or whose lives necessarily revolve around precise planning, the snow can be a real lesson in letting go, and relatively safely. A blizzard is one of the few major events in life that you can both plan for -- in that you can cancel engagements, stock your fridge, test the batteries on the flashlights and dig out your unscented candles -- but also do nothing about. You can make all the lists you want, but the snow will be the one who decides whether or not you get any of it done.

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