So it’s October. We’ve all been home for a solid 2 months now and I’m sure it’s hit you too… The dreadful, the inevidable, the ugly, the very real…. Post Camp Depression. There is truly nothing worse than saying goodbye to friends you won’t see for a whole year (or ever, if your camp has international staff) and getting back into the routine of normal life. Trips to Walmart aren’t magical anymore and none of your real world friends care about your camp stories. I’ve never been as emotional as I was when I got back from camp. And I know you know how I feel! You tear up at the slightest thought of camp, looking through camp pictures makes you sob like a baby, and talking on the phone with your camp fam nearly causes you drown in your own tears.
And to make matters worse, our family and “real world” friends don’t understand. They try. But they just don’t. They’re all like “Aww, you miss camp. Get over it.” HA! If only it were that easy!! PCD is more than just missing camp. You had a whole other way of life at camp, a whole other family, schedule, and environment. For 2 months you constantly busy, from the time you woke up at the butt crack of dawn until you were yelling “LIGHTS OUT” at the top of your lungs in hopes that the campers would finally shut up. So when you get home, the tiredness finally hits you and you feel so, well, blah. There’s no one to sing silly songs with, no one to hike around with, and no one to just act crazy with. It’s hard to make the jump from getting paid (barely) to teach 9 year olds to make friendship bracelets, hike around the great outdoors, and sing songs about moose to having to go to school and work a real job. If you find a job in the real world that you love just as much or *gasp* more than camp, then you’re living a lie because that’s just not possible.
Let’s face it, he real world just isn’t as great as camp! So here’s a list of the stages of PCD then a list of ways to that you can deal because I promise, it does get better.
STAGES OF PCD:
1. Denial – I’m only home for a weekend break! ..Right?
2. “Don’t talk to me, I’m depressed” – Not even your mother’s home cooked food can pull you out of your room where you are obsessively looking through camp photos and crying because you want to go back.
3. “So this one time at camp..” You have SO MANY amazing and hilarious stories from this summer to tell your family, friends, dog, random person in the grocery store.. but no one finds them as entertaining as you do. You’re just desperate to relive the incredible summer you had, but your camp fam is busy getting back to their regular lives to relive them with you.
4. Acceptance – You’ve finally accepted that you have no choice but to go back to your normal life and that normal life really isn’t so bad afterall.
HOW TO COPE:
1. Keep a box full of ideas for next summer! Games, activities, crafts, stock up on friendship bracelet string, cards, and other goodies! (I’ve started a collection of awesome bandaids : )
2. Skype your camp fam! This is great for internationals! Don’t have a webcam? Buy one! You won’t regret it!
3. Connect with other lonely camp counselors! Use my blog to talk to me or my twitter is full of wonderful people who are going through the same thing! @_CampCounselor
4. Start a camp countdown! I have one on my desk so I can physically cross off the days til the next glorious summer! 230 days!
Thanks for reading and please please please feel free to give me your feedback!!
Stay wonderful! 🙂
Your fellow lonely camp counselor
Camp Counselor Life 