Aftercare & Affirmation

Re-entry often comes in waves—moments of joy, contractions, and the slow weaving back into daily life. Go gently: journal, rest, play, move slower, connect with community, and listen to your body.

Here are some reminders and practices to hold close as you navigate this time:

Affirmation, not transformation
Our intention was never your transformation. It was your affirmation. Camp is a space to remember what is already within you. In a culture obsessed with constant growth and “what’s next,” our invitation was to remember that you are already enough, already whole, already carrying what you need.

The jarring is part of it
Most people feel disoriented when they come home from Camp. That’s normal. As uncomfortable as it may be, it’s an important part of the experience. You’ve become more attuned—to how fast things move, to how many demands compete for your attention, to the ways you may have been suppressing your true nature. Instead of resisting the jarring, try to see it as a learning point, a sign that your senses have sharpened.

Process through expression
Journaling can be powerful, as can talking with people you trust. But not everyone in your life will understand or know how to hold what you share. They may even actively poke holes in your experience and make you wonder if it was even real. That’s not their fault—it’s a symptom of a system that often dims light when it shines too brightly. Please remember: your experience was real. You’re not “returning to the real world.” You were in it at Camp too. The work now is to bridge the two worlds together.

Listen to your body
Integration isn’t just emotional or mental, it’s physical. Pay attention to breath and posture. Move gently—stretch, dance, walk barefoot on the land. Rest deeply—nap, take baths, or simply do less. Let your nervous system downshift and your body replenish.

Integration practices
Carry pieces of Camp into your daily life:

• Begin meals with a pause of gratitude.

• Create mini phone-free windows each day.

• Keep a small token from Camp—like a stone or leaf—nearby as a touchstone.

• Practice “energy-saving mode” when your social batteries are low.

Connection comes in many forms
Some leave Camp with many new friends, but most leave with one or two meaningful connections—or even just a deeper connection to themselves, the land, or their existing community. That is enough. Even one thread is worth carrying forward.

Permission to feel the blues
“Post-Camp blues” are real. They come in cycles and don’t mean something went wrong. Often, they mean something went right—you touched connection and aliveness, and it’s natural to grieve its passing.

If Camp wasn’t for you, that’s okay too
Not everyone will love Camp, and that’s not our goal. We don’t expect to be liked by everyone. Our hope is that you leave liking yourself more—or at least becoming more curious about your own ways of being. There is nothing wrong with you if you didn’t love the experience.

Integration takes time
Sometimes the insights settle weeks, even months later. Return to your notes, to photos, or simply sit with a memory. Notice what continues to ripple.

The collective thread
Integration isn’t only individual—it’s collective. Carry what you experienced into your workplaces, families, movements, and neighborhoods. You don’t have to “recreate Camp,” but you can seed care, play, and presence into the places you already live and love.

Above all, remember: whatever you’re feeling is valid, and you’re not alone. Rest so much, dear one.