Nostalgia: the sweet old reminiscences!

Most of us would have encountered the situation when we go down the memory lane and think about the past profoundly. But what happens is that we sometimes get stuck in that feeling. This is where we have to take conscious steps and ensure that we don’t get lost. Well, I am not going to the extreme of labeling nostalgia as a disease (because humans have this idiosyncrasy of labelling everything with some condition) which is not good but as something that can be constructive. The key is in not encouraging unpleasant memories and not getting stuck in them.

Common nostalgic moments

Have you faced the situation when you have listened to some music and can relate with certain period in your life? This is one of the triggers of nostalgia.  Other nostalgic moments include the longing to go back to school and college lives, our deep thoughts about the great days we left behind in our old houses, etc.

Delving more into nostalgia

Have you called your dear friends and have reminisced about the past? Have you been delighted that how those special moments in life give a tinge of pleasure to the present monotonous life?

Generally we go into nostalgia when we can’t accept the present reality. As far as the nostalgia doesn’t make you feel guilty, it is all fine. When done correctly, nostalgia can enhance your self-esteem and morale. For the deeper person, it can even fight solitude. But for some, even reminiscing good times can be very stressful.

When you fear change, you become nostalgic and comfort yourself saying that I have done my best in the past. But the problem is that you may get into a comfort zone with nostalgia. You tend to show that you are not to be blamed for a not-so-good present wherein your younger days was like heaven. But gaining mastery over life lies in working on your present moment without feeling guilty of not achieving what you want to be. After all, the greatest challenge humans ever face is understanding what we are and what we want to be correctly.

 Take-home message

The takeaway is that when you consider the past with a sense of thankfulness, then nostalgia can indeed be rewarding. However, if you attach some sort of adamant longing to the past even after knowing that it cannot come back, then it can be something serious.  Even when you are reminiscing over the past when you had a great get-together with your friends, ensure that you don’t do it too long. Can understand when you say that nostalgia sometimes cannot be controlled. But this is where you have to live the moment and take firm grip of it. For the person who takes life as a learning experience always, nostalgia can only be sweet and not bitter-sweet!

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