Mental Health Awareness Week: Clubs & Festivals

View of inside a nightclub.

The prospect of clubs & festivals re-opening is an exciting thought, but for some it might be a bit more complicated. After over year of being told to keep your distance, being a hot, sticky club could seem quite overwhelming.

It’s important to acknowledge how you’re feeling. It’s okay to feel anxious or overwhelmed. These emotions are a completely normal response to the unpredictable year we have all had.

When clubs & festivals return, anxiety may be increased due to many factors – being in a loud and packed environment, losing friends in the crowd or having consumed alcohol or other drugs. Situations that felt quite normal 18 months ago might now feel quite alien, and the emotional mind may take over. It’s really important to look out for ourselves and our friends, but if things become too much there are things you can do to help.

Calming Exercises

When in distress, often the first thing we feel is a change in our breathing, this technique works to regulate this.

Using your senses

Using your senses (otherwise known as the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Technique) is another tool to keep you calm in a stressful situation.

To do this technique look around the room and try and pick out:

When encouraging a friend to do this make them describe each of these to you to help them fully engage in the technique. 

Be supportive

If you are with a friend who is displaying signs of emotional distress or panic stay calm and try and help them with some of these techniques:

It is also important to look after yourselves and others following these events: check in on friends, eat well and get plenty of rest. If you are worried about your mental health then talk to someone you trust or contact a support service, such as Samaritans, the Crisis Service or this NHS information page.

This blog was written by our volunteer, Becky Saunders.

3 minute read

Related to this article

A Celebration of Life 2023 - Tickets Available Now

Bristol Drug Project

A Celebration of Life 2023 - Tickets Available Now

As we roll into the colder months, A Celebration of Life 2023 is just around the corner. A Celebration of Life is our annual...

Introducing Anna Smith, BDP's new CEO

Bristol Drug Project

Introducing Anna Smith, BDP's new CEO

Following the sad and untimely passing of Maggie Telfer OBE, we have had a very important role to fill in our organisation. ...

BDP release opioid overdose awareness toolkit for International Overdose Awareness Day 2023

Bristol Drug Project

BDP release opioid overdose awareness toolkit for Internatio...

To celebrate International Overdose Awareness Day 2023 we have just released an overdose awareness toolkit to raise awarenes...