How To Wind Down After An Event

Knowing how to wind down from a monumental event is instrumental to processing all that transpired. If this is given proper attention, your takeaway from the experience will be fully realized.

Whether it’s a wedding, birthday party, vacation, finishing a ginormous project, finally getting your podcast up, launching your website, getting through your divorce, returning from a seminar,  moving in to your new home, or whatever it is for you… these are big events! Even though in many cases they might revolve around some of our happiest and memorable moments in life, they can also be laced with a ton of stress.

If you follow these 11 tips on how to wind down from an event, you’re guaranteed to have made the most of this chapter in your life.

Tip ONE: Keep it to yourself.

When you go away to do something really exciting, upon your return… don’t talk about it with others. I know, you want to tell everybody! But it’s going to be incredibly disappointing when their reactions don’t match your enthusiasm.

Please don’t expect other people to get as excited as you are or were, unless, you know it’s somebody who’s just dying to hear about it.

Tip TWO: Schedule the day after – even two days after – so that you have those days to do nothing.

Like dude, nothing. Nothing. Well, except process. Too often, people will come back from an event and they forget to take into account how important it is to decompress.

Tip THREE: A phrase to be repeated.

Repeat this phrase out loud, “It can wait.”

You have to have that mindset after the big event because life hasn’t stopped just because you were away or you’ve finished this big project, etc. People still want to hear from you. There’s still going to be emails, and all that.

But keeping saying, “It can wait!” One more day is not going to kill you.

Tip Four: Create a summary.

It’s really important to put on paper what you’ve just accomplished, need to follow up on, do better next time, any loose ends you need to address in a few days… because, right now, you’re not going to do that. So rather than worrying about forgetting these things, just get them down on paper because, repeat after me, “It can wait.”

Tip Five: Take a walk.

You’re not pumping your arms turning it into a jog and trying to get a workout. Just move your body. Just take 5 – 10 minutes. It needs to be outside. Whatever the weather. And, no phones!

Tip Six: Exercise.

Sometimes the day after a huge event, you might not have the energy to exercise – which is fine. But by day two, you need that medicine and exercise is a wonder drug. I’m talking about getting your heart rate up. This will create a therapeutic occurrence in your brain by releasing endorphins.

Tip Seven: Get outside.

There’s something so restorative about being in nature. And it’s really important to connect with nature, be present, and take in the beauty around us.

Tip Eight: Have sex.

I mean, if you’re in a committed long-term relationship, anyway. It is the ultimate stress reliever.

Tip Nine: Read.

Not on a digital device – but on paper. Pick up a book, magazine, or newspaper and just sit down on the couch. Curl up with a blanket and read.

Preferably, I’d like you to read something that has nothing to do with what you’ve just done. Some fiction to escape with!

Tip Ten: Disconnect.

At least for half of the day. Your phone is away from you. Computer is turned off. Shut off from the outside world!

Tip Eleven: Think about what you’re excited about next.

Now if you don’t have anything, you need to plan something – and ideally within the next three months. Now it doesn’t have to be as big of an event as you’ve just gone through. If you don’t have something, then I want you to schedule it.

We need to wake up every day and have something to look forward to!