How To Mentally And Emotionally Recover After A Rally

Protesting is one of the most powerful things ordinary people can do together—and September 21 proved it with one of the biggest turnouts in recent memory. The rush of being part of a massive crowd can be exhilarating, but that same high often leaves people drained once the noise dies down. After the banners are folded and the chants fade, what comes next?

A guide shared by Riyan Portuguez, the creator behind Your Millennial Psychologist, breaks the post-rally recovery down into three key steps: decompression, meaning-making, and motivation. Sounds good on paper, but what do these actually mean for people who showed up at Luneta or EDSA?

"Hindi madali ang pagpapamalas ng compassion para sa sarili, kapwa, at bayan. Mahalaga rin na pagkatapos ng protesta ay magkaroon ng sapat na pahinga para maka-recover," Portuguez wrote in the caption.

ALSO READ: KATSEYE's Sophia Laforteza Shows Support For Filipinos During The September 21 Rallies

This is the least glamorous part of rally recovery, but probably the most important. Massive gatherings can leave people overstimulated—angry at the government, frustrated at corruption, or simply drained from hours of standing in heat or rain. No doubt these take a toll on our body and mind.

Portuguez notes that studies show stress hormones like cortisol drop when people allow themselves time to recover. That means attending to the basics first, like eating and sleeping, and then later finding a safe space to let out what you're feeling to people who understand. It's the kind of step that sounds small, but without it, the weight of feeling everything, everywhere, all at once only gets heavier. Most people need at least a day or two of rest to recover from a full-day protest.

Then comes the "why." Why show up in the rally at all? For some, it's solidarity; for others, it's pure outrage. Whatever your answer, meaning-making is the process of unpacking that experience—asking what being in the crowd gave back to you.

Reflection helps people see that while corruption won’t end in a single protest, a sense of purpose can come out of it. She suggests a guided question: "What was it like to be part of a community with a shared purpose? Anong inihain nilang kwento sa'yo na dadalhin mo? Anong pakiramdam na there's something bigger than yourself?" Without this reflection, rallies risk becoming one-off spectacles rather than real turning points in people's lives.

A rally can spark anger, hope, or both—but how do you sustain that when you're back in the office the next morning knowing a chunk of your hard-earned money goes to stolen taxes? "Sustained motivation" is the phrase Your Millennial Psychologist uses.

She points to self-determination theory: motivation lasts longer when you feel competent and connected. In plain terms, it means finding ways to stay engaged beyond the one-day event. This can look like sharing verified information or joining a group with like-minded people where you can be yourself. It doesn’t have to be grand, but it has to be deliberate for the momentum to keep going.

"Sense of belonging is one of the antidotes of loneliness and hopelessness," Portuguez says.

But what if the exhaustion lingers after doing all these? She warns that fear, agitation, numbness, sadness, flashbacks, or even changes in appetite and sleep could be signs that a person isn't recovering properly: "If there's a significant change in behavior and impairment in your usual functioning, it's better to seek professional help."

This article originally appeared on Spot.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Cosmo.ph editors.