Post-Festival Self-Care: The Blues, The Blahs, And How To Stop ‘Em

4. Get Your Butt Outside!

Nature! Happiness! Fresh air and sunshine! All of those things are pinnacles of festival culture and they’re the easiest things to bring home with you. For those of us who are lucky enough to exist in the PNW, we need to take advantage of our lush forests, beautiful hiking trails, gorgeous mountains and crystal lakes. Get out there and soak it all in. Isn’t it nice sitting by a body of water without constant bass?!

5. Get To Counseling, Seriously.

If you attend counselling regularly, or even if you don’t, it’s never bad practice to schedule in a session when you get home. Lots of emotions probably came to the surface while at the festival. Talking them over with friends is great, but sometimes you need to have an impartial party to discuss some of the things that may come up during or after the festival. If you need help, local listings will always have resources to help you find a professional that can help your unique situation, whatever it is.

6. Deduce What Might Be Causing This.

You may have a bad comedown this year, or you might be feeling extremely awful. This could be situational or it could be chemical, and the most important thing to figure out is which one, and fast. Erowid is always a good resource for different drug combinations that could be causing your bad comedown. It could also be an adverse reaction to medication you may be taking. Always be aware of what does what and when because this is an avoidable part of the post fest blues, and a super easy one to forget.

7. Create!

Remember that post festival creativity I touched on? USE IT! Make art, or indulge in something you love. One of the biggest parts of festival life is art and creativity, so relive those moments by developing something beautiful. Maybe it’s inspired by the beach at Shambhala? Or Slay Bay at Bass Coast? What about the Main Stage at EDC? Let your expression take hold and create something to make you feel at home again.

Banana Cam Photography 2017

8. Don’t Be Afraid To Say You’re Hurting

Let’s face it, we know the next week is going to suck. It’s going to suck a lot. You’re going to be moody, irritable, and sad. You won’t understand why you feel this way ,or why that bank teller didn’t wish you a “Happy Shambhala” when you made your deposit, but you know that this is the worst. It’s normal.

Understand that there are 10 thousand odd people around the world likely feeling the same way. Reach out! Check the Facebook group for the festival; maybe they have a forum, or even just reconnect with people you met. Everyone gets the post festival blues sometimes, and you just gotta let people know.

I personally spent a long time pretending I was okay and trying to jump right back in after coming home, but that just makes it worse. Then, my week of decompression turns into a month and a half to two months of mental torture. You’re not alone, and you never will be.

What about you guys? Any tips and tricks to help us get through? Any ideas about what should be the next facet of mental health and rave culture we could cover? Let us know in the comments!