POST-FESTIVAL SICKNESS
I don’t know about you guys, but New Years kicked my butt. I was up at SnowGlobe in Lake Tahoe dancing for hours in below freezing temperatures, so it was no surprise when I woke up to the sniffles on January first. What started as the sniffles has now turned into a full-on cold which is why I wanted to take a little time to talk about the realness that is ‘post-festival sickness’ and what you can do to try and combat it, or at least make it a little less of a struggle to get through.
Perhaps the best thing to do is to REST. I know it can be difficult especially If you have to go back to work immediately after the festival is over, but it is essential to get as much rest as you possibly can. Take a nap, go to bed, early and don’t let yourself get pulled into doing anything strenuous. I know it can be hard not to cave to the pressure to go to the gym for a few days or even just run around doing errands, but it is super important that you make yourself stay still. Festivals are incredibly deceiving. Even though it may not feel like you are basically doing a marathon, you are putting your body through hell. If you are like me and tend not to eat during festival weekends, you are also probably running on a calorie deficit that is going to make a recovery even harder. I know it’s hard to slow down and rest, but if you don’t, post-festival sickness is going to hit you even harder. If you can take a few days off, try and do so if you can’t then just stop yourself from making any more plans that may be strenuous on your already tired body. Maybe spend the next few weekends at home on the couch instead of hiking or at the club. Yeah, it sucks to feel sedentary, but it might be exactly what your body needs from you.
You can probably guess what’s coming next. Another way to combat festival sickness is to EAT. Raving is hard work and if you don’t give your body fuel to recover you are going to get sick. Period. End of story. While you may be craving something fatty and salty like a burger and fries, it is also important to get in some fruit and veggies as well. Vitamins and minerals are essential to a good recovery so make sure to get your fill of leafy greens and fruit. Have a green juice or smoothie, make sure your meals have a decent amount of green and color on them. It is also important to make sure you are getting enough protein. If you don’t eat meat consider adding some protein powder to your smoothies to give you that added boost.
HYDRATION is also going to be critical to a good recovery. I know that some people stand by Emergence-C and other vitamin C based supplements but I personally like good old fashioned Gatorade. We sweat out a lot of the sodium and electrolytes that keep us healthy when we sweat, and Gatorade is a fantastic way to replace these.
Finally, if you have been resting, hydrating, and eating well and your sickness is still prevailing do not be afraid to go to the doctor to just make sure it isn’t anything worse. Viral infections take to hold a lot easier when we have weekend immune systems because of intense exercise, lack of food, and exhaustion. If resting and eating well isn’t enough you may need something a little stronger. Don’t feel like you need to power through, especially if the sickness is taking a toll on your body.
Festival sickness sucks, but it doesn't need to be the end of the world. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to take care and listen to what your body is trying to tell you. I struggle with taking breaks, even when my body is screaming at me to sit down and take a minute to breathe. This can lead to a slippery slope, where not allowing your body to recover fully can lead to your post-festival sickness being even more intense the next time around.
