My son, James, completed the US Marine Corps Crucible yesterday – Oohrah! Originally, I thought that they would graduate immediately thereafter. I am learning that the Marines know a thing or two and act accordingly. The new Marines graduate two weeks later. In our ‘put the fries in the bag’ culture, what can you learn about how to handle the tail-end of your own intense experiences so you’re not just rushing from one thing to another – or to nothing?

Post-event blues, also known as post-adrenaline blues (PAB), is a common experience characterized by feelings of sadness, emptiness, or even depression that occur after a significant event or period of intense activity. Thankfully, you can manage this phenomenon by pre-planning a “come-down” time after extreme events. This mitigates post-event blues and supports your mental and physical well-being for these five key reasons:

1. Biological and Psychological Readjustment: Intense events, whether work-related or personal, often involve a sustained period of high stress and excitement. Examples include planning a wedding, end-of-term exams, caring for a loved one, coming home from a vacation, the kids leaving after visiting you, moving to a different area, and a million other common scenarios. For me, it was supporting James through the Crucible, even though I wasn’t there in person. Biologically, these events cause an elevated release of stress hormones and feel-good neurotransmitters like endorphins. When the event concludes abruptly, the sudden withdrawal of these chemicals can cause a physiological and psychological “letdown.”

Pre-planning a come-down period allows the body and mind to gradually readjust, preventing the abrupt crash that often triggers post-event blues. This also makes me think of the rebound or withdrawal symptoms observed in addictions.

Today, after the Crucible, I woke up with very tense muscles in my neck and shoulders. I’m certain they were tense the last few days and I couldn’t even feel it. They say that ‘a lazing lion snaps at flies while a hunting lion doesn’t notice a bee.’

2. Preventing Feelings of Emptiness and Lack of Purpose: During the intense lead-up to an event, all your attention and focus are directed towards a single goal. Once that goal is achieved, you can experience a void or a sense of aimlessness if nothing is planned for the aftermath. This can make everything post-event feel anticlimactic, dull, and empty. By scheduling a dedicated “come-down” time, individuals can intentionally shift their focus and avoid the sudden vacuum that can contribute to these negative emotions. This is also a good time to think of practical and mundane things that may have fallen through the cracks of excitement. For the recruits-turned Marines, their training was so intense that this let-down time is a time for them to think of practical things like exchanging contacts with their buddies.
3. Facilitating Reflection and Learning: The time immediately after an event, while details are still fresh, is opportune for reflection and debriefing.

Pre-planning a period for this allows you to review what worked well and identify areas for improvement. Blerter.com, an event planning platform, also recommends treating the experience as a valuable learning opportunity. You are always learning new things. Every experience is a rich learning opportunity.

This constructive engagement can help you prevent dwelling on negatives and instead channel energy into future growth, turning potential disappointment into productive insights. For example, if your family visits for Thanksgiving and you realize you didn’t have enough containers to send food home with people, you can note that and even shop for the containers now and put them away with your holiday stuff so it’s handy next year. Journalling is an excellent way to reflect and preserve memories for yourself or someone else. Contacting those who supported you through your event is another great way to spend this time.

4. Prioritizing Rest and Self-Care: The strenuous nature of event planning or intense projects often leads to neglected personal time, social interactions, and healthy routines. Pre-planning your come-down period ensures that you prioritize essential rest and self-care activities. For me right now, knowing that James will be home for a few days after basic training is a juggling act of giving him come-down time from boot camp, accomplishing logistics he may need for his next steps, and catch-up time with friends and family. This deliberate focus on well-being helps to replenish energy, reduce stress, and restore a balanced routine, which is vital for overcoming post-event blues. The second part of my pre-planning entails planning for the void of him leaving again.

5. Setting New Goals and Re-establishing Motivation: A significant factor in post-event blues is a lack of motivation once the primary objective is complete. A common scenario is a bride who loses weight to fit into her wedding dress. If she doesn’t pre-plan a come-down, she may gain it all back within weeks. When pre-planning a come-down time, you set goals for future endeavors. This creates new objectives for you to look forward to and re-establishes your sense of purpose.

CTA:

1. What important events do you have coming up? How can you plan for your come-down.
2. What void do you find yourself in currently? How can you mitigate it with a mid-planned come-down.
3. Have you historically thought of or planned come-downs?
4. Read Part 2 of this article next (IGNITE Challenge Days 74/75/76 – Overcoming Your Post-Event Blues (Part 2) – Further The Faith).