It’s no secret that young people are increasingly eschewing partying and late nights for wellness and the gym. Nearly half of young people no longer drink alcohol, with many citing health concerns as their principal motivation for quitting. Earlier this year, a survey conducted by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) found that 61 per cent of people between the ages of 18 and 30 are going out less frequently compared to last year. National newspapers have gone as far as rebranding Gen Z as “Generation Stay-at-Home”, “Generation Boring”, or “Generation Sensible”.

It’s cheering that so many of us are keen to prioritise our health, but that said, I’ve always been sceptical of just how ‘healthy’ it is to adopt such an all-or-nothing approach to going out. It’s important to allow your body to recharge and recuperate, sure, but it’s equally possible to have a little too much ‘me time’. Humans are hardwired to seek out social connection, after all – and with that in mind, it’s worth acknowledging that wellbeing and socialising aren’t diametrically opposed. If anything, they go hand-in-hand.

Enter Lost Village. The four-day festival, tucked away in the Norton Disney countryside, is testament to the idea that coming together for a big old party can leave you as refreshed as a Goop-y wellness retreat. This year, the line-up featured some of electronic music’s biggest names, with headline sets from the likes of Honey Dijon, Four Tet, and Barry Can’t Swim, as well as buzzy up-and-comers like Shubostar and SHEE. And to punctuate these fun, funky sets, there was an impressive wellness programme on offer at the festival’s Energy Garden, with attendees able to take a break from dancing by immersing themselves in a lakeside hot tub or soothing sound bath.

On Friday morning, after a night of getting our bearings (read: traipsing round the stages nestled in the woods), my friend Ellie and I headed to the Energy Garden for a friendship ceremony workshop hosted by Hope Mayhew. In the 45-minute workshop, Mayhew encouraged us to reflect on the qualities we admired most in each other and make friendship ‘vows’ – which sounds cheesy in theory, but in practice was a heartwarming experience that set us up nicely for a weekend of quality time with one another. Afterwards, we visited the festival’s lakeside spa, where we were able to enjoy a hot tub, sauna, and cold plunge. Watching the still surface of the lake out from the fogged-up window of the sauna, it was hard to believe that we were not at a remote, rural retreat and instead at a festival that’s been dubbed “baby Glastonbury”.

We then headed back to the festival’s Boutique Sanctuary for a hot shower, before doing our hair and make-up in one of the campsite’s dedicated ‘pamper rooms’. Given that my usual festival hygiene routine entails 1) scrubbing myself with a wet wipe and 2) lathering myself in deodorant, I was extra grateful to have unfettered access to running water and good quality toiletries (I’m now a big fan of haircare brand Rehab, having sampled – and been truly impressed by – their range of hair oils all weekend). Recharged and energised, we weaved our way through the woods and hunkered down at the festival’s Jupiter Park stage for high-energy sets from Laurence Guy and Damien Lazarus. On our way home, we ducked into the packed-out Hay Barn for a late-night singalong to some nostalgic classics, before calling it a night.

The next morning, electrolytes duly downed, we ambled over to the Energy Garden for a sound bath session with Matt Walton. Walton explained that he would be using drums, crystal bowls, and chimes for our session, adding that he would be focusing on playing the notes C, E, and G on the bowls, a combination of notes often found in lullabies on account of their pleasant, harmonious sound. As someone who listens to ASMR almost every day, I was very excited, and Walton did not disappoint – unsurprisingly, not long into the session, I was so relaxed I drifted off.

Feeling slightly more well-rested after my little cat nap, Ellie and I headed off to the Junkyard stage to see Kirollus, who offered up a feel-good set peppered with crowd-pleasing bangers and ended up being my favourite act of the weekend. We eventually wrenched ourselves away to head to the ‘Village Feast’ tent, where we were treated to a flavourful four-course meal crafted by chefs Jack Croft and Will Murray, the brains behind Fallow. Bellies full (and feet rested after our hours of jumping around at Junkyard), we headed back out into the woods for the evening. Chaos in the CBD were a particular highlight, with the duo delivering a fun, memorable performance at the Moondial stage.

The following morning, I headed out to grab a coffee and passed a man in Hokas, AirPods in, running laps around the campsite – a group of tired-looking campers in their pyjamas shuffled past and scoffed in disbelief. “Give it a rest, mate”, one of them quipped under their breath. It was probably the first time I’ve seen someone going for a run at a festival, but in a setting as wellness-oriented as Lost Village, it didn’t seem too wildly incongruous.

I then headed over to the Energy Garden once more for my energy healing session with Desiree Diaz. It was a meditative experience, with Diaz guiding me through the session while she worked her magic. Afterwards, she gave me a tarot reading; notably, the oracle card I pulled suggested that I spend more time in nature – advice which was hard not to heed given how good of a time I was having in the middle of the Lincolnshire countryside. Ellie and I then headed into a group energy healing session led by Emily Callow – the energetic workshop helped us shift our groggy, final-day feeling, and we left ready to make the most of the last few hours of the festival. Our personal music highlight from Sunday was undoubtedly Sadar Bahar, who played an hours-long, disco-heavy set to a lively, ebullient crowd.

We were sorry to leave the next morning. It might sound hard to believe, but I genuinely felt refreshed and energised after the long weekend, having spent four days doing nothing but resting, dancing, and spending quality time with one of my best friends. On the train back to London, I couldn’t help but think of the man I saw running round the campsite: in some ways, he epitomises the idea that it’s possible to do both – be mindful of your health and dance yourself silly until the small hours of the morning. But I also can’t help but think of the person who muttered, sarcastically, about “giving it a rest”. Because it’s equally true that the world won’t stop spinning if you skip your daily run or sleep in every once in a while. As the saying goes: everything in moderation – including moderation.