Post-Summit Blues
Post-Summit Blues. October 9, 2018. Actually, October 8th, second day after the summit...started as a low day. That morning, I woke up grumpy. I woke up low. I woke up, simply, unhappy. Then, this morning, I woke up sad. I woke up cranky. I woke up, simply, glum.
When you're at Lewis Howes' Summit of Greatness, you quite literally experience an all time high. Literally. You live each day of the summit wonderfully high on pure, unadulterated energy and life. When you hear and feel the words of the great Jay Shetty, Dr. Tererai Trent, Amy Purdy, you experience this sensation of being elevated. Shivers crawl down your arms and back, because the words and messages are so powerful. Feeling lifted is an understatement.
Feeling elevated and sublime is more like it, but those adjectives still hardly scratch the surface. Is there an adjective that can describe the sensation that overwhelms your body when you hear their words, see their faces, feel their passion? Ah, maybe…Euphoric.
The day after the Summit was over, I was still in Columbus, Ohio, hoping to enjoy one more day there. Positive vibes surged through the hotel. I had met incredible new friends throughout the weekend. One, named Sean (he's a wise guy, I found out), he was the only one who seemed to share with me something less than overtly positive (trust me, this is a good thing). He shared with me something completely and utterly transparent and real. He shared with me a message I hadn't yet considered. He essentially told me to be prepared: some people feel a lull and go through a low when they get home from the Summit; after such a high, things can only go down, right? This message was huge for me, because holy hell, did I feel it once I returned home.
I saw so many positive posts all over the Facebook group following the Summit, about how energized and electrified the SOGers now feel. Not me, though. I wonder how many other people feel like I do.
Hands down, the Summit of Greatness was a life-altering event. But the vivaciousness that should follow the event just hasn't yet come. I actually feel like a bell curve…I started out low right before the Summit, then experienced the highest high, and days following the Summit, I’m back to a low. Shaun T. described this as the “Implementation Dip,” where your performance quite literally dips during an effort to change something in your life. It’s not something to be thwarted or misguided by, but it sure does feel that way.
Dr. Mark Hyman made some remarkable comments. He commented on gluten's adverse effects on the energy levels of all people, the way that proton pump inhibitors can negatively impact cognitive function, and the way that an unbalanced diet can lead to significant brain fog. His points were impactful. Despite my full understanding of his message, I feel unable to start my health journey and new lifestyle. I feel...not ready. I feel exhausted and lackluster.
Now that I’ve described how I feel, it’s probably time to discuss how to get out of it. The funny thing is, that’s a good question. I always found that, surprise, writing, helps me to come up.
I start most days with my “Intention Journal.” I journal to set intentions for each day and to develop steps to implement these intentions. The reason I say I start most days is because during my “blues” I find it hard to actually do the things I should do and stick to my habits. So my advice to you for today’s entry is:
if you already have good habits, stick to them! visualize and state affirmations to push yourself forwards.
if you don’t have any good habits, create a new one - and start there, by simply writing down the new habit you’re going to commit to - one step at a time.
As Simon Sinek says, “Dream Big. Start Small. But most of all…Start.”