I go to conventions for fun. All kinds of conventions, Pop Culture, Comic Book, Star Trek, Anime, Gaming — you name it. I love to go and see everyone dressed up in their favorite costumed character, no matter what genre it’s from and take their picture.
If you have ever been you know that it’s a whole different world. Even before you walk through the doors to the convention center or hotel you see people in costumes and tshirts with your favorite characters and sayings plastered acrosss the front. Mandos, Bronies, Homestucks, Pokemon, DC, Marvel, Image, Skyrim, Borderlands, League of Legends, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Steampunk, Zombies, Dr. Who, shoot even Steampunk Dr. Who Zombies (Are you my mummy? *shivers*)…the list goes on and on without end. Everyone has been counting down the weeks until they can gather with thousands of others who have similar interests, cut lose and have a freaking amazing time for three days (four days if you’re lucky). No matter what your genre the reasons are the same….acceptance and community.
Growing up many of us faced being bullied for being different. Nerds, geeks, unpopular, outcasts…whatever your label, whatever your reason many of us have been there and we hated it. Fast forward a decade or two and we find out that there are not only other folks like us out there who have similar interests, but there are a LOT of other people out there who feel the same as we do. So conventions were started. Finally we had a place to come where for ONE WEEKEND we weren’t the weird ones. We found our tribe, made connections, laughed, cried, played games, danced like fools and thanks to modern technology captured nearly every moment of it in pictures or video for the world to see. Even with all of that, it sounds like we should all be happy after the con, so why is post con depression such a real problem in the community?
Everyone wants to feel like a Rock Star…
What it really comes down to is while at a con you feel like a rock star. Cosplayers get mobbed by people wanting to get their pictures taken all weekend, photographers and videographers get mobbed by the cosplayers wanting to create something awesome with them and regular con goers usually get chances to meet their favorite voice actors, comic book artists and people they would never, ever, ever have access to normally. Whatever part you play, whatever your thing is everyone wants to feel like a rock star and while at the con we all are in our own way.
After The Con
After the goodbyes are said and we go home it starts setting back in that the majority of us go back to work or school the following day. Back to have a lot less control over our life than we’d like and back to not being that rock star that we were just a few hours previous. That downer teams up with most of COMPLETELY trashing any sort of healthy eating, good sleep routines and any resemblance of taking care of ourselves while at the con and you get “The Con Crud”. We are all exhausted and our immune systems can’t handle the stress so we get physically sick and we are already mentally drained by reality’s not so loving welcome back so many of us settle deep into depression. (This seems especially bad during the winter months).
So what can we do about it?
With Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, blogs, Youtube and tons of other options we can all keep in touch with each other like never before. Take a few minutes a day and keep in touch with the people that meant so much to us just a few days before. Text them up, Snapchat a goofy pic, Tweet a funny meme or (*gasp*) Call them. Sounds like an easy thing and many of you are saying “Well no duh, we know this already” but how many of you are actually DOING IT? Post Con Depression is real, we all deal with it and we all can help each other to hang in there until the next get together. Organize a Google Hangout, or a group Skype session. If you live somewhat close meet halfway! Bowling, movies, meeting for dinner, armor making parties (That one’s for you mandos!) every little bit helps. Funny thing is when you help others with their post con blues, you help yourself with yours. Everybody wins.
Till next time guys and gals…Keep being Awesome.
The Portrait Dude
www.theportraitdude.com
