Why You Might Feel Low After a Retreat

(or Any Big High)

Ever notice how a day or two after something beautiful, like a retreat, a deep healing journey, or even just a magical weekend with friends, you feel… off?

​

Maybe it’s a little sadness, apathy, disconnection, or a sense of “what now?”

That dip isn’t random. It’s your brain recalibrating.

Let’s break down what’s actually happening:

​​​

1. Dopamine Levels Dip

During the retreat or joyful experience, your brain likely released a lot of dopamine, the “feel-good” chemical tied to pleasure, novelty, and reward. It’s part of why you felt so alive and lit up. But after the peak, dopamine levels start to drop, sometimes dipping below your normal baseline before leveling out. That’s when you might feel unmotivated or a little flat.

​

2. Endorphins Fade

Endorphins, natural mood boosters and painkillers, also spike during high-energy, emotional, or physically engaging experiences. But they’re short-lived. As they fade, so can your sense of lightness or ease.

​

3. Oxytocin Wears Off

Oxytocin (the “bonding hormone”) is what makes you feel close and connected, especially after deep sharing or group vulnerability. You might’ve felt so seen, so held. But 24–48 hours later, oxytocin drops, and that same connection can start to feel distant. Cue: longing, loneliness, or missing “your people.”

​

4. Cortisol Returns

During your high, your stress hormone cortisol likely took a back seat. But once real life returns (inbox, errands, overstimulation), cortisol creeps back in. And because you’ve just touched peace, stress can feel even louder in contrast.

​

5. Your Brain’s Just Regulating

All of this is your brain doing its job, finding equilibrium again. After a rush of neurochemicals, it pauses, rebalances, and reorients. That come-down isn’t failure. It’s physiology.

It helps to know that this wave is natural, even expected.
The “low” doesn’t mean the magic wasn’t real.
It means it was.
And now your system is simply learning how to hold more light, even when the external stimulus is gone.

​

​

It can feel jarring, to go from being cracked open and connected…
to folding laundry and checking voicemails.
But this come-down isn’t a sign that you’ve lost the magic.
It’s your system learning how to stretch. How to breathe in a new rhythm.
How to carry the memory of aliveness even in stillness.

This is the sacred integration.
The part where your body catches up to your soul.

So if you’re feeling a little low after a retreat, a reunion, or a weekend where your heart was on fire…
just remember: it’s not the end.
It’s the landing.

And sometimes the landing is just as holy as the flight.