Ten tips for coping with the post festival blues

A long festival weekend can be tough on your mind and body but there are things which can get you back on track once you get home.

How to feel better after a festival

Put on a wash when you get home

First things first. Before you do anything empty your bags and stick all your clothes into the washing machine. It doesn’t matter how tired you are, stick on a washing the minute you get inside the door. Your future self will thank you for it. There’s nothing worse than emptying your bags a few day later to find smelly mud-crusted clothes.

Take a long shower or bath

After a weekend of camping, it’s hard to beat a bubble bath or a hot shower. There’s nothing like a steaming hot shower to help lift the hangover, and blow away all the cobwebs from your head, and make you feel a little less zombie and a little more human.

Get some sleep

You’ve spent all weekend dancing, drinking and having fun. Sleep was the last thing on your mind – but now you’re exhausted and in need of some rest and relaxation. Dive into bed and catch some much needed Zzzzs. You’ll feel so much better after a good night’s sleep, and feel able to tackle the world again.

Drink lots of water 

No, not alcohol. Water. Lots of it. Water is your friend following a heavy weekend of drinking. Your body will be extremely dehydrated and the best way to help your body detox after a heavy session is to drink lots of water.

Spend some time relaxing

The bank holiday Monday means that you can spend all day in bed recovering from your hectic festival experience. Have a duvet day with a couple of DVDs or Netflix if you have it.

Eat well

You probably have spent the whole weekend eating junk-food and drinking booze. It’s important that you cancel this all out over the next few days by eating lots of fruit and veg. Your body will prob be craving junk food, but try and balance out these cravings with some balanced meals which will get you back on track and feeling good in no time. A homemade smoothie is perfect for restoring all those lost vitamins.

Focus on your mental health

It’s natural to feel down after the exhilaration of being at a festival. Even more so if you’ve been drinking or taking drugs. If you are feeling down, it’s even more important that you eat good food, and are around people who make you feel good. Listen to your favourite playlist, and watch a comedy or something that will make you laugh. Spend time with friends, and try to avoid being alone for the next few days.

Exercise

The last thing you prob feel like doing is going for a run. But some gentle exercise such as a walk may be just the thing to get those endorphins going. Also, there’s nothing like some exercise to help you sweat away your hangover.

Stay away from caffeine

You might think a coffee or can of coke is the best way to perk yourself up after a heavy weekend drinking. But caffeine can dehydrate you even more which means prolonging that hangover from hell. Stay away. Have some water instead.

Be gentle

It’s important that you go easy in the days following a hectic weekend. Do something nice for yourself over the next few days, and appreciate the fact that it is perfectly normal to feel down and icky in the days following a big weekend.

If you do feel like you are exceptionally down- make sure you speak to someone you can trust such as a friend. Remember there is always help available 24/7 such as Samaritans.

Need more information, advice or guidance?

We offer information, advice and guidance about the issues that matter to you. Our online Youth Information Chat service is for 16 to 25 year olds and is available Monday to Friday, 4pm to 8pm (excluding Bank Holidays).

• Chat now to a trained Youth Information Officer
• Or leave us a message and we will email you back