Commentary by James Jordan, Sumner Newscow – I just got home from one of the best bluegrass festivals in the country, the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield last weekend. I had a great time – probably the best experience in the 20 years I’ve been a part of it. It was everything I had hoped for and even more.

So why do I feel like shit?

James Jordan

For me this is one of the most important events of the year. My world revolves around the third weekend of September. It also falls on my birthday, which is a bonus.

But three days later, at home, I feel like the world has ended. Life has no meaning or purpose. I can barely get out of bed. I have suffered from bouts of depression for a long time, but this one seems worse than most. The weather is perfect for hiking, an activity I love. And I’m sitting in the basement and I can’t even get dressed.

I’m retired and have nowhere to go. Returning to work used to be a needed break from disappointment. Today, nothing will distract you from the painful disappointment after such a huge high.

I’m not alone in this. You can find many psychological articles on the Internet about depression after an event. I enjoy studying mental health…

We’re running out of feel-good chemicals

Many of them are chemical in nature. When you are waiting for an important event, a lot of dopamine and other natural substances that improve your well-being appear in your head. You can gain even more during the event. When this is finished, the chemicals will disappear and there will no longer be any in the tank. This is a sure recipe for a dose of depression. They are extremely difficult to produce when supplies run out. Even the things that usually lift me up didn’t in this situation.

It’s the same with actors. They work hard to get the production ready. There are a lot of expectations that reach an incredible level during the performance. Then it ends and a person’s emotional health falls apart.

We’ll get to some coping strategies later down the road.

I don’t remember feeling this intense after previous festivals. Part of that was getting back to work, but this year was different. This year everything was so perfect it seemed like a dream.

What actually happened

Preparing for camping is a complicated process. Many people want the best seats, and there is competition among groups. I go individually, which makes it a little more difficult. There is a lineup lottery of sorts. When they open the gates, it’s a free for all. Everyone enters and takes their seat as quickly as possible. It’s a lot of adrenaline, but I have a great spot. I scouted the area the day before and landed exactly where I wanted.

I also found myself next to a group from Texas who welcomed me and before the first day was over, I was part of their group. I liked it very much and next year I was invited to the camp again.

Then there was my music. I have been taking playing guitar more seriously for several years. There’s a lot of jamming going on at campsites, from beginners to experts. I saw some progress in myself and reminded myself that I still had a long way to go.

I met a music instructor there who was happy to help me. He showed me things like how to hold a pick, how to strum, and how to posture – mostly mechanical things that change the way you play music. I looked around the festival and all the greats were doing what he said.

I can’t wait to put into practice everything he has shown me and improve my guitar playing.

I always work at the festival too. This is a way to help; and pays for my ticket and most of the camping fees. This also went as well as it could.

The weather was hot, with occasional storms.

This year’s festival cannot be faulted.

This deepens depression after the event. I had all this buildup and anticipation. The party went as well as it could. Now there is nothing but emptiness.

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So what to do with these feelings? From reading a few articles, here are some tips I’ve gathered.

Embrace the feelings

Understand that this is a normal reaction. Give yourself some grace. Your body, mind and spirit need rest after an important event. If you can, take some time off and rest. It’s not comfortable, but it will pass with time. Usually this time is not very long.

Prepare

You may be aware that this will likely happen, so be prepared. If you don’t have a natural way to distract yourself, create your own. Do something else or do it right after the event is over. It should be something not so intense, but it might lessen the depth of disappointment.

Talk about it

Talk about your feelings with someone who will listen and try to understand. Having someone to support you during this time can be very valuable.

Think about what is good

You can take some time to think about what happened. Make journal entries. This may make things worse for some people, but it may also help others. Reminiscing about good things can ease disappointment. If there were some bad things that didn’t go well, you can think of ways to improve them next time.

Find another cause or purpose

It may be a good idea to do this before the event. Have something else in mind that you can expect or achieve. If you’ve just returned from vacation and you’re feeling down, start planning your next one. Think of another place you want to go and how to get there.

Takeaway food

Disappointment is normal after an important event or achievement of an important goal. The key is to accept your feelings and get the rest you need. It’s good to have something to build on, like your next goal or event to start with.

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James Jordan is a retired journalist and occasional writer for Sumner Newscow. You can find more of his columns Here.

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