Summer Wellness Festivals can be so much fun and so utterly beneficial to our well-being, but they can also feel overwhelming to attend, especially if you have never been to one before. For me, it's about discovering new fun ways to bring more calm and joy into my daily life.
As a busy mum with little time for myself and little motivation, I often find these weekender events are a great way to boost our social connection, creativity, whilst embracing deeper states of relaxation and pure joy through new exciting mediums.
I’m finding one of the best ways of boosting your wellness cup is to attend a wellness festival that embraces some of the best wellness practices out there. You can often attend just a day or stay over a whole weekend if you can spare the time and pennies. You can explore everything from talks and workshops to sound meditations, breathwork, dance, music and movement sessions. I’ve tried drumming, creative workshops through to holistic treatments, creative writing, singing and so much more.
Many of these festivals are planned with busy or neurodivergent people in mind. The purpose of these festivals are to find your happy place, and rediscover ways to unwind our busy minds. They tend to be spread out across multiple fields thus reducing crowds and queues and making it more accessible as a women with crippling social anxiety.
Plus, the whole point to these events are to be still and present in the moment, so I find these kinds of festivals are far less stressful than most. I find myself coming away blown away by the new things I have learned and experienced even though there are elements of attending these kind of events that can be stressful.
Some of you may not feel comfortable going to anything like this but I’ve found by pushing myself and attending these kinds of events with friends or family, it’s opened my mind up to all kinds of therapies and activities I might have never explored and it has really given me a new zest for life. I leave these events revived, having refuelled myself, my energy, my positivity and human connection.
Last year we attended 2 festivals as a family; Wellnergy and Into the Wild and then I did Well-being by the lakes in Dorset on my own. I explored drumming, circus skills, singing, crafting and copper jewellery making using old black smith tools. I’m hoping to do another on my own this year so I can fill the cup and do more things for me. So I thought I’d share some of the ones I’ve been to and a few I haven’t but am keen to get to.
I attended into the Wild Festival last year, and I ran in on a singing session that was just finishing. It was such a transformative experience seeing the beautiful sound that this teacher had created from a group of strangers who had only been singing for an hour. It stopped me in my tracks and propelled me to finding a well-being choir I could join in my own area when I returned home.
Within a month of returning home from the festival, I had found a new Wellbeing Choir in my locality which I then joined having never sung my whole life. I now sing weekly with a lovely group of people who lift my spirits, and improve my ability to be heard in various situations as well as raising my personal skill and confidence.
I am now hoping to join that choir session at this year's festival over the August Bank Holiday now I have the confidence to join in on my own. If you really can't get to one of these events, get some inspiration from some of the bigger wellness festivals around this summer and then search for these practitioners in your locality. It might inspire you to start a new hobby or explore a new wellness practice.
I fought the fear and did it anyway and I know you can do the same and if you do decide to go, here is my practical guide for neurodivergent, menopausal women to embrace these wonderful events and lose the tension.
Plan your trip - Plan your journey, check traffic time and add a third extra time. We often underestimate how long things will take and don't include time for parking, walking, queuing etc. Work out parking or transport options and getting to the venue. Limit the amount of walking, and getting to the festival so you retain energy for the festival itself.
Find a friend - If you don’t want to go on your own, find a friend or ask in forums if anyone wants a buddy to attend with. Buddies tend to help us feel less anxious and be accountable. Some festival organisers even offer a buddy system so that when you arrive they help you to familiarise yourself with space, work out where everything is and even help you to identify and get to the sessions that you really want to attend but find that anxiety is stopping you from joining them on your own. Ask the organiser what support is out there.
When you get there - suss out where the loos are, the first aid is and the food and drink places and if there is a neurospicy relaxation zone to retreat to if it gets too much or find a quiet place to retreat to.
Managing crowds - If areas get crowded, walk on the edge of the audience even if it means it takes longer, or hold hands with a friend or loved one. It will help you feel safer. For me I get scared of losing people, if you are going with someone, organise a safe space to meet if you lose each other.
Sensory overload - If the smells of various food outlets turns your tummy, then take your own food and avoid the area and find a peaceful space to eat in. Maybe with some relaxing tunes to relax with.
Managing overwhelm - I often find heading to a meditation zone will have some fabulous Breathwork or somatic, movement based sessions that will ground you back to the present moment and lose those feelings of overwhelm. Alternatively, take yourself off to a quiet zone, stim, put your headphones in, listen to your fave playlist or go dopamine hunting and find the next must-have purchase!
Get organised - Pre-book your tickets and see if certain sessions need pre-booking. Take copies and put them in an organised bag or put e copies in a phone wallet so they are easy to access. Some of you might be happy walking about and discovering sessions on an ad hoc basis but when I do this I often get overwhelmed by the choice of things to do, I then can’t decide which to attend. To avoid doing nothing and being frustrated, Print the agenda / highlight your fave sessions. List them out by day / time order with location. Print a location map and highlight and work out in what order the workshops you want to attend. Schedule those sessions in your phone with alerts and if you have a digital watch, ensure they alert to remind you of each session so you don't miss a thing!
Hunger pangs - Factor in time for snacks, drinks and lunch breaks and maybe the odd treatment! Give yourself physical reminders or get your buddy to keep you energised.
Be prepared - take a bag of necessities so you are armed for any eventuality, such as:
- Water bottle
- Sanitary wear just in case you get caught out
- Wallet
- Phone / charger
- Ear defenders or loops
- Earphones
- Sunscreen
- Jacket / top
- Meds
- Money
- Snacks
- Headache meds
- Hair ties
- Urination device
- Anti Bac Hand Spray/Wipes
- Tissues and Female Toiletries
- Umbrella (weather permitting)
Lastly if you find yourself in fight or flight, move, shake out the negative energy and make a conscious choice to just take yourself off for a wander. If you have a pulse point oil give that a sniff to waken the senses.
Once you get moving it’s easier to shake off those feelings, tell yourself you can be brave and how amazing you will feel once you have tried something new. Go try it and let me know if these help and if you have any of your own that I haven’t shares. I’d love to hear from you.
Meanwhile enjoy this last bit of summer before the seasons change once more.
Namaste
Cass