Post Concert Depression (PCD) is a serious side effect of attending a K-pop concert. Seeing your favorite group and bias in person, not just in 1080p on your screen, can be an overwhelming experience. As you’ve probably discovered, it can take some time to finally recover and come back to reality after such a life changing event. But don’t worry if you’re experiencing PCD, this is a completely normal part of the recovery process!
At ottoKWORLD, we’ve put together this OTTOKE guide to help you handle your PCD! Follow our steps below to help ease your pain and speed up your recovery. Our community is here to support you!
1. Talk about your experience with a friend or an online community
One of the most important things you can do to help with your withdrawal is to talk about your feelings! If you were lucky enough to go to the concert with a friend, don’t be afraid to gush about your favorite parts of the show and talk about all the little details that you loved.
But what if you don’t have anyone to talk about this life changing experience with? Luckily the internet is here to help! There are plenty of fans in Facebook groups and forums that are in the same exact boat as you. After the BTS Wings U.S. Tour, I found that a wonderful place to vent was in the fan-managed Facebook groups for each show. Everyone was suffering from the same PCD, and it was fun to share and read about the experiences of other fans.
2. Look at any photos or videos you took during the show
If the concert you went to allowed you to take snapshots of the show, these can be an important tool to get over your PCD. Looking at these amazing moments can help transport you back into the heart of the event and spark your memory with your favorite moments. You may even catch things that you didn’t notice during the actual show!
3. Find fancams to relive your favorite moments
If you didn’t capture any photos or want to find even more, do a quick search on YoutTube, Instagram or Twitter to find fancams from the show. There’s bound to be plenty of footage for you to binge-watch! Even better, you’ll be able to see the concert from different angles than the one you witnessed from your seat.
4. Read any interviews or recaps from the show
In many cases, the group will likely do interviews with media outlets before the show. Reading and watching these interviews gives you another way to interact with the band and see them from another perspective!
5. Post your own recap of the concert to give yourself closure
Open disclaimer, this blog post is completely a result of my own struggles with trying to handle PCD after seeing BTS during the WINGS tour. If you enjoy writing, posting your own review of the show can be very therapeutic and help ease your pain! You also are giving back to the fandom, helping those who weren’t able to see the show relive it from your view point.
6. Watch music videos to help ease the pain
I find that rewatching music videos often helps ground me and get me used to once again seeing the group on my computer screen rather than in person. In addition, the songs from the show are likely still stuck in your head and this is a good way to keep the joy of the show alive. Also, it’s always fun to rewatch the music videos with your new concert memories. You can then compare what you saw in real life to what you see on the screen!
7. Slowly start to branch out and listen to other music and groups. Remember, there’s plenty more (K-pop) music out there!
This can be a tough one but in order to recover, you need to start to branch out into listening to other music and rekindling your love for other K-pop groups. It’s easy to get sucked into a blackhole for the group you just saw, but remember that there’s lots of other great music out there too! Finding other outlets for your attention can help to ease your pain.
8. Plan your next Concert. This helps to focus your attention on the next event, distracting you from PCD.
This may be a never-ending, vicious cycle, but I always find the best cure for PCD is having another concert to look forward to. If you’re lucky enough to live in a place that hosts a lot of K-pop concerts, take full advantage of the opportunity! Planning for the next show or K-pop event does wonders at easing the empty hole in your post-concert heart.
What tips do you have for those trying to deal with Post Concert Depression? What steps work best for you? Share your own suggestions below!
~Rachel
