We've all been there before. You wake up from a night out or get home from a magical weekend spent at a music festival, and you feel terrible—both physically and mentally. Raves and music festivals will take a lot out of you, and even if you're physically prepared, you can't possibly prepare yourself for that much mental stimulation ahead of time.
We've been to our fair share of raves. Now that most of us here at iHeartRaves are raving well into our real adult lives, we've got a few tips and tricks for recovering better from a weekend at a music festival or rave.
It's all about how you prepare.
You can set yourself up for a good recovery, or you can set yourself up for failure. If you're heading into a long rave weekend, start getting yourself ready a couple of weeks in advance.
Try leaving for the fest with all of your laundry done and your living space clean and refreshed so that you can come home to a relaxing environment. Maybe even take a few minutes throughout your work week leading up to the weekend to see where you can get ahead for the week you return.
The last thing you want to do is have to feel stressed about work, deal with a messy living space, and be exhausted from a long weekend. If you're not traveling for the event, take a few minutes each morning to de-clutter before preparing for the night ahead.
Get everything you need to recover ahead of time.
You could also make sure that you have water, enough food to keep yourself nourished for the entire weekend, and any medications that you might need easily accessible.
Set a bottle of water and/or a Gatorade next to your bed before you leave so that it's there when you get home, pre-cook some nourishing meals, and set aside that bottle of Advil for easy access.
Pace yourself at the event.
Most festivals, even single-day raves, are marathon events and not sprints. The last thing you want to do is miss a set you were looking forward to because you sprinted at the beginning of the night and then had to go home early. If you're drinking, drink water in between drinks to stay hydrated.
Even if you're not drinking, rest as much as possible and take advantage of opportunities to sit down when you find them! You can enjoy the music without going too hard, and your body will thank you later!
Try setting a spending limit with yourself.
I don't know about you, but one of the worst things to have to deal with when you're recovering physically from a long weekend or night out is the anxiety that you get when you know you've spent way over your budget.
You can have a great time without giving your credit card a workout, so try to set spending limits with yourself before you go into the weekend to avoid the anxiety that might come with overspending later on.
Maybe you know you want to buy some merch, so with that in mind, you can tell yourself that you probably don't need those extra drinks. This will make your recovery that much better, trust me!
Care for your body.
Like I said before, festivals and raves are rough on your body. Think ahead of time about how you can make it easier on your body by doing things like stretching every morning or drinking plenty of water, and eating a normal amount. Just because you can live off of one chicken strip, doesn't mean you should.
Be kind to yourself.
Life is all about balance, and part of that balance is being kind to yourself after a weekend of letting loose. You have no reason to feel guilty for raving. It's what you love! If you're someone who gets hangxiety, relax and remind yourself that you deserve to have a good time.
