Emotional Hangover

(this picture's from 2005 Regionals in Princeton; among many intense weekends, this one was especially so; from left to right: Ben, Linc, Tim, Josh, me, Jack, House, chicken-dancer)

Talking with a friend the other day about how he felt following a wedding/visit with an old girlfriend/generally spirited weekend, I realized that emotional ups and downs loom pretty big in everyone's lives.

In ultimate, the silly but fun sport that I play, the ups and downs are sweeping. But I don't mean ups and downs like wins and losses. I generally mean the 'high' during a tournament and the 'low' following a tournament.

AJ Tiarsmith, stellar player, coach, and thinker about ultimate, had the motivation to post on his ultfris blog about post-tournament depression following tournaments. So it has to be a big deal.

What he noted was that ultimate players, and most people, are engaged in lots of highly- concentrated social (and usually physical) environments for a few days at a time. Immediately afterwards, people tend to show these signs (and I quote):

• lack of energy
• sad or withdrawn
• irritable
  
• difficulty completing simple tasks
• difficulty focusing

Homeboy of mine who just said a quick hello and goodbye to his ex-girlfriend was in complete agreement that he was going through this kind of phase: an emotional hangover. I'm thinking of an emotional hangover as a time of intense emotion, thoughtfulness, and the need to be sharing himself with friends.

Why is it that we have to experience all these symptoms in order to reacclimate to our daily lives after tournaments and other good times? Is it because our daily lives are so lonely, having us 'lead lives of quiet desparation?' Or do we experience this stuff because of the rush that comes from being around people with whom we party, play, and love? This post shows some of the rush that comes over a tournament weekend.

Please share your story about emotional lows following some crazy active and wild time...