2018 has been shaping up to be the year of K-Pop concert tours, with a handful of concerts and KCON NY already finished, leaving K-Pop fans feeling the pain in their schedules and in their wallets. It seems like a new concert is announced every week, making it hard to find time to see all of our favorites. After we see our favorite group, it feels as if we are on cloud nine, a high that we ride on for days until we hit the wall—the gloomy feeling that makes you seriously consider turning your car around to drive right back to the venue in the hopes you might see a glimpse of them again. That gloomy feeling is called “Post-Concert Depression (PCD).” The thing about this pesky little phenomenon is that, you are not alone!

Why Do I Feel Like This?

Before you can tackle it like a boss, first we have to talk about why it happens, and for that we have to turn to science. Our brains have three chemicals that I have lovingly dubbed our “Happy Chemicals.” They are serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. Each chemical is released for a different reason. However, the one we are going to talk about is dopamine. Dopamine is released when we take steps to do things that we need or desire. So when we book the tickets to see our favorite group, our brains reward us with more dopamine. We book our flights or apply for the time off work...more dopamine. Finally, the day we see our favorite stars, our brains give us a constant stream of dopamine, making us feel amazing. But once the concert is over, our bodies run on that dopamine, and that is what leads to the “depression.” What is really happening is we have a dopamine hangover. Our bodies were so used to receiving all the happy chemicals in such a short of time that no longer being in that moment leaves us feeling what can only be described as “bleh.”

How to Fight the Bleh and Become the Boss

Everyone handles PCD in their own way, but if you find yourself watching your concert videos over and over again, here are a couple of my favorite ways to combat PCD.

Content Binge

Okay, probably not the best way to handle it, but certainly the most common. Re-watch the concert videos and scroll aimlessly through photos to relive each moment. Go to YouTube and rewatch all the videos, variety appearances, V LIVE broadcasts, anything you can get your hands on. If you have come back from an event like KCON, go look up that group that had the song you couldn’t stop humming for hours. It was stuck in your head for so long that it even was the soundtrack for your dreams (I’m looking at you “District 9”).

Learn

This one is my favorite because I love learning new things. Try to learn one of your favorite group’s dances; K-Pop dances are full of cardio and high intensity movements that are a great way to stay in shape. Learn about that new group. You know the one I am talking about. The one with the member you couldn’t keep your eyes off of, and every time they spoke you were smitten. Yeah that one. While you’re at it, learn the rest of the groups’ names—you will thank me later. You can also throw yourself into learning Korean! Just studying the alphabet can make a huge difference in your understanding.

Plan

Whether your favorites have more stops that you can make, or another group has just announced their dates for their world tour, figure out what it’s gonna cost you, what seats you want, and how many extra hours you need to work. Get that game plan together so when ticket day comes, you’re ready.

Find Others

We get it—at The Kraze we know being a K-Pop fan can be a bit lonely. Use social media to meet more people who stan the same groups you do. Reach out into the community, there is always strength in numbers. And besides, someone may have gotten even better pictures of your bias.

Step Away

Take a break from K-Pop, it’s a lot of emotions. Take a walk, watch a movie, meet up with your non-K-Pop friends. Do things that make you happy outside of K-Pop. Don’t worry, it’s going to be there when you get back.

Everyone handles the PCD in their own way. In the end, choose the method that works best for you, and know that your next concert is always around the corner.