Sun 8 Jun 2025
After The Big Retreat: The Psychology of the Post-Festival Come-DownWhy you might feel low after feeling so good, and how to keep the magic alive
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Jess Baker, Chartered Psychologist & Author of The Super-Helper Syndrome
You came home from The Big Retreat Festival with a full heart, joyful memories, and maybe a new commitment to yourself. Yet somewhere between unpacking your bags and opening your inbox you began to feel a little flat.
This post-festival emotional dip is common, and although it’s uncomfortable, it’s just a symptom of reintegration. I’d like to unpack why this happens, and how to navigate the fading afterglow through self-awareness, and with self-compassion.
The Psychological Hangover
If, since getting home from The Big Retreat Festival have you been feeling a little low, fatigued, irritable, anxious, or unmotivated, please know that this is perfectly normal.
Psychologically, the richer the experience you had at the festival, the sharper the contrast with your everyday life. In other words… the more fun you had, the harder your fall. Ouch.
Let’s look at three aspects of festival life that make it so unique, and the brain chemistry roller-coaster that makes the highs, and lows, unforgettable.
Tough Transitions
At the festival, you had consciously ditched your routine and swapped it for something exciting and expansive: connection, openness, and presence. You breathed differently. You moved differently. It’s called the feel-good festival for a reason, and your serotonin played its role in helping you to make the most of it!
But arriving back home, you instantly returned to your everyday chores, responsibilities, and environments that leave little space for spontaneity or self-expression. This physical and psychological shift triggered the emotional low.
At the same time, cortisol, your stress hormone, may be creeping back as you return to emails, prioritising others, facing unfinished tasks, and an over-filled diary. But your nervous system isn’t failing, it’s just trying to help you cope.
An Identity ReleaseAt the retreat, you could be fully you, more than all the roles you play at home and work. You tried new things, danced with abandon, maybe cried in a sound bath, or laughed until your cheeks ached. Your dopamine levels spiked with every new encounter.
In that container, all of your senses were alive, which is why the return to your everyday roles can feel like a personal contraction. It’s like trying to squeeze your full self back into a space you’ve outgrown.
Tribal Belonging
Festivals like this create a strong (if temporary) sense of tribe. The magic was real. And it was shared. You belonged to a moment, a group, an energy that can’t easily be replicated. Oxytocin, known as the bondinghormone, was released during hugs, shared silence, deep conversations, and emotional connection. When that dissolves, even people with full, connected lives can feel untethered. That ache or longing you might feel? It’s a form of grief for something precious, beautiful, and fleeting that’s now passed.
None of this means you’re doing anything wrong. It just means your brain and body are adjusting after a beautifully different kind of experience.
How to Gently Recalibrate
Validate the dip: You’re not broken. You’re reintegrating. (Reintegration happens when you return to your usual environment with a new version of you in tow.)
Compassion for yourself: Now is a perfect time to offer yourself the same level of respect, love and kindness that you freely give to others.
Capture the golden nuggets: What did you do or discover that felt meaningful at the time? Capture it in your journal. If you have photos, save them to a special folder to revisit and relive whenever you wish.
Keep a ritual or two: A brief morning stretch, a vocal sigh or song, or even a moment of silence to yourself can help the body release and reset.
Reconnect with other retreaters: Reignite that warm sense of belonging by connecting with other retreaters and sharing memories. Keep the flame lit over the next few weeks to help you land back to normality with flow and ease.
The Magic Isn’t Over
What you experienced at The Big Retreat wasn’t a one-off moment to leave behind. Instead, it was an invitation… a glimpse of how it feels to be expansive, connected, fully you. And now, even as you return to the everyday, that version of you doesn’t disappear. Reintegration can take time for sure, so let it be gentle, let it be spacious. And remember, the magic isn’t over, you get to carry it with you.
