Is there anyone who doesn’t remember past happy times? Who hasn’t missed past experiences? We are all familiar with this feeling. It can be negative, but it also has great benefits.
Nostalgia…a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or a place with happy personal associations.
I prefer to think of it as “fondly remembering the past”.
Nostalgia is often triggered by sensory stimuli such as a picture or a song, but it can be elicited by conversations, and even by self-directed memory recollection. Sometimes these triggers are unexpected surprises, and sometimes they are sought out as a means to bring comfort and happy feelings.
It can unlock a completely dormant memory. Our senses help us relive previous brain associations. Smell and touch are the strong evokers of nostalgia — these stimuli are the first to pass through the amygdala, known as the emotional seat of the brain. The recollections of one’s past are usually important events, people one cares about, and places where one has spent time. Music and weather can also be strong triggers of nostalgia.
If it’s true that the only constant that exists is change, then nostalgia would be defined as missing what you used to do and who you used to be in a specific time frame in your life.
For example; adulthood has its advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes we have to make choices and it is impossible to move forward without some positive elements of our lives being lost along the way.
A Serious Medical Condition
The word was coined in 1680 from a combination of the Greek word “nostos” meaning “return” and “algos” which means “pain”. It was, at one time, seen as a serious medical condition. It affected soldiers missing home so much that they broke down and were unable to fulfill their duties. The only cure was to be sent home.
The Benefits
In modern times, nostalgia is viewed as an independent, and even positive, emotion that many of us experience often.
Occasional nostalgia has been found to improve mood. Although nostalgia is triggered by negative feelings, it results in increasing one’s mood
It can increase social connectedness. Nostalgia also sometimes involves memories of people you were close to, and thus it can increase one’s sense of social support and connections.
It can enhance positive self-regard. Nostalgia serves as a coping mechanism and helps people to feel better about themselves.
It can provide existential meaning. Nostalgia helps increase one’s self-esteem and meaning in life by buffering threats to well-being and also by initiating a desire to deal with problems or stress.
In essence, nostalgia is all about you. Your memories, your past and consequently, who you used to be.
Sometimes just the memories are enough.
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