Music festivals are the finest way to escape reality - for a day, for a weekend, or even for an entire week. Anyway, reality is always lurking around the corner, and - sooner or later - you’ll have to come back to it. And you might somewhat dislike it.
It’s not because your life is terrible, right? It’s because an everyday lifestyle is rarely a festival lifestyle, and the immediate contrast will often be too much to bear. After the long hours of loud music, hypnotic beats, frantic dancing, and creaming on the top of your lungs… You’ll have to go back to doing your job, paying your bills, cooking your meals, and doing your laundry.
So - now that your fancy EDM clothing is back in the closet and your jeans are back on, how can you move on in a healthy and constructive way? Believe us - we’ve gone through the process way too many times, and we are here to share some time-proven tips for your recovery.
Is Post-Rave Depression Even a Thing?
Clinical depression is not something to joke around with, so it’s probably wiser to refer to your condition as post-festival blues. In most cases, it won’t affect your mental health in the long term, but it can definitely lower your mood for days and weeks to come.
In fact, it’s not merely the abstract term “reality return” that causes the issue. It’s also rooted in some rather practical facts, for example:
- You’re probably sleep-deprived and with consequently disturbed concentration and cognitive capabilities.
- Your muscles are probably going through a lot after the intense dancing and raving in the last couple of days.
- Your hormones are probably a mess - not merely due to sleep deprivation but due to the strong emotions you’ve been going through during the festival.
- Your nutritional intake was probably not top-line during the festival, leading to different short-term deficiencies of micro and macronutrients.
Then - in the case where you’re not wearing a halo - hangover will probably be calculated on top of these, and the situation will get even worse if you’ve been taking other stimulants or drugs.
So - yes - post-festival blues are a thing, and there’s plenty you can do to recover swiftly, intelligently, healthily, and successfully.
How to Restore Your Physical and Mental Balance?
There are two fundamental parts of your overall well-being after a festival - your physical health and your mental state. Surely, they go hand in hand, and you can’t take care of one while completely ignoring the other.
Bring Your Body Back on Track
First of all - here is what to do to help your body overcome the consequences of a hardcore summer festival.
#1 Detox
Drinking, smoking, eating junk food, taking energy drinks, and living the moment without considering the consequences are actually absolutely normal during a festival. So - no need to regret it if you know how to handle it after you come home. Here are some detox tips:
- Drink a lot of water and stay hydrated to help your excretory system flush out toxins from your body. Adding some herbal teas, smoothies, and detox foods will also support your liver and help you get your balance back.
- Eat well and consider taking some supplements to help your muscles, organs, and systems recover. Functional and nutritional meals are a must, along with group B vitamins, probiotics, and fibers.
- Do a bit of light cardio out in the open air to help sweat out toxins, produce precious happiness hormones, and maintain a stable mood without harsh swings.
Finally - doing all of these with your festival buddies will help you feel less lonely and isolated while sharing good memories and reliving the highlights of the past few days.
#2 Get a Massage or a SPA treatment
Multiple wellness and recreation activities will work equally well for your physical and mental health, so don’t hesitate to treat yourself a bit. Getting a massage will help your muscle tissue with the soreness, while saunas, jacuzzis, and swimming will help your blood circulation manage the “leftovers” from the party.
Of course - taking care of yourself will also boost your general mood and get you out of the silent void that usually comes after the neon lights on the frontstage.
#3 Balance Your Sleep Schedule
Taking back what you’ve missed during the festival is always a good idea, unless you want to find yourself in a vicious circle of sleep deprivation, worsened cognitive function, bad hormonal background, and lifestyle quality drop.
It’s the best time to invite your friends over for a “Netflix and chill” evening, where “chill” is actually “chill.” Then, put your morning alarm clock off for a couple of days, and make sure you get plenty of uninterrupted sleep - preferably by going to bed early instead of sleeping till noon.
#4 Have Some Outdoor Workouts
Working out is probably the last thing you consider doing after coming home from a music festival, but it’s actually among the best ways to keep life going. We’re not talking about weight training or professional sports.
Instead, take short walks in the hood, go for a pleasant hike in the mountains, or do some stretching out in the park. All of this will tone your body, keep your mood stable, and help you socialize yourself out of post-festival blues.
Sort Out Your Emotional Realm
Yes - reality checks are not the most pleasant thing in the world, especially after experiencing the total freedom to go berserk. Usually, first-time festival goers experience a harsher comeback, but experienced ravers can also suffer depressive moods every now and then.
Here are some ideas on how to cope:
#1 Do Not Isolate
Locking yourself in a dark room and compulsively eating pepperoni pizza in front of the TV is not the best strategy if you want to stay well. Sure - taking your rest is fine, but you can do it with friends and share every bit of your emotions with them.
So - take your incoming calls, answer your messages, and stay around even if you don’t feel like it initially. Then, just a couple of days later, you’ll find out that your friends are your best way out of the lurking bad mood.
#2 Plan Your Meals Smartly
You already know that functional nutrition is important for overcoming deficiencies after eating crap for a week in a row. But did you know that there are some science-proven ways to use nutrition as a mood-booster?
- Magnesium-rich foods like pumpkin seeds, dried figs, and avocados will help muscle tension and relax your entire body.
- Probiotic foods like natural yogurt, fermented vegetables, and kombucha will improve the gut-brain connection, thus easing anxiety and depression.
- Fiber-rich foods like nuts, seeds, and fresh fruits and vegetables will help you with depressive moods and worsened peristalsis.
- Omega-3s from fish, seafood, or cold-pressed plant oils will reduce inflammation, improve the blood flow in the brain, and regulate your serotonin levels.
Add some herbal teas for relaxing the nervous system, and you have a natural mood boost that’s healthy and perfect for neutralizing the post-festival blues.
#3 Spend Time With Your Festival Crew
Take this from us - pretending the festival didn’t happen will only make things waaay worse. So - gather your fellow ravers and talk out every second of it. Share pictures, watch videos, relive every moment, and cherish it without canceling the present one.
There are probably tons of little details you’ve missed on the spot - so pick up the pieces with your friends and have some genuine fun remembering details about the experience.
#4 Plan Your Next Festival
That’s not the last festival you will be visiting, y’all! In fact, the next super cool experience might be just a couple of weeks or months away, so rearrange your mental patterns and start planning ahead instead of retrospecting.
Dig through some lists of cool outfits, create a playlist of artists you’ll be seeing soon, start looking for accommodation, and get yourself ready for the future - because it’s coming for you, and you’ll be coming for it too!
More sooner than later, your post-festival depression episodes will be in the past, and all that will be left for you is to enjoy life as it is - full of ups, downs, and in-betweens worth living through.