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| Sentimental memory |
Rakyatsipil, Yogyakarta, Taking a walk down memory lane can boost your mood, reminding you of good times or meaningful relationships in your life. Or, it can make you feel sad, despondent, or otherwise out of sorts, if you end up longing for the past and feeling more discontent with the present. The way nostalgia—which is often described as a sentimental longing for the past—affects you has to do with your current state of mind and how you feel about your present life as well as the context, such as the experience that elicits the nostalgia.
Believe it or not, nostalgia was once viewed as a psychiatric condition, often reflecting feelings of melancholia or severe homesickness. Over time, the concept broadened as research revealed positive benefits associated with nostalgia and “a consensus developed to recognize nostalgia as a blended, bittersweet emotion,” explains Krystine Batcho, PhD, a professor of psychology at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. “During good times, the sweet aspects of nostalgic reminiscence tend to be pleasant and positive. However, during challenging times, nostalgia can be more bitter than sweet, and a person can experience greater sadness than joy.”
What is Nostalgic Depression?
On the downside of the nostalgia spectrum lies nostalgic depression: While this isn’t considered an official mental health disorder or diagnosis, the term is used to describe the negative emotions—such as sadness, regret, or loss—that people sometimes feel in the present when thinking about memories from their past.
When someone perceives their past as significantly better than their present circumstances, nostalgia can lead them to dwell on what’s been lost. “Nostalgic depression is more likely in times of adversity, such as financial hardship, relationship difficulties, grief, or traumatic stress,
”The symptoms of nostalgic depression are similar to those of other forms of depression.
Nostalgic depression can be accompanied by:
Sadness, despair, or regret
Feelings of loneliness, loss, or social isolation
Loss of interest in activities you usually enjoy
Feelings of pessimism or hopelessness
“Depression that accompanies nostalgia can lead a person to retreat from social events and interactions,” Batcho notes. “They may begin feeling social anxiety and prefer to spend more time alone. They may spend greater amounts of time reminiscing about their past to the exclusion of attention to current responsibilities, relationships, or opportunities for enjoyment.
The Upside of Nostalgia
It’s important to put the potential risks of nostalgic depression in perspective because for many people, nostalgia can be healthy and beneficial. Reminiscing about pleasant memories from the past can improve your mood and stimulate inspiration and motivation. Nostalgia can provide you with a greater sense of meaning in your life, experts say. It can strengthen your relationships and foster social growth by helping you feel more connected to others and by eliciting compassion, empathy, and altruism.
Coping Tips for Nostalgic Depression
If nostalgia has put you into a distressed state of mind, here are some strategies that can help you cope:
Reach out to others. Make an effort to connect with important people from your past and your present life. Besides giving you an opportunity to catch up with what’s happening with each other, you can reminisce about good times you’ve had together. “Nostalgia is more likely to remain healthy when it is shared, whether face-to-face in person or via social media,” Batcho says. “When nostalgic memories and interests are shared, feelings of belonging are fostered, along with greater optimism and positive self-esteem.”
Look for lessons from the past. Revisiting a happy or healthy period from the past can offer you hope for a brighter future by reminding you that what was possible before can be possible again. By reminding yourself that the younger you who bravely stood up for what you believed in or who dared to try a new sport or tackle difficult challenges is the same person (you!) today, you can summon the courage to face daunting situations or help you realign or reassess your current priorities.
Use your nostalgic feelings in a different way. If you’re feeling nostalgic and sad, try to zero in on your most nostalgic feeling. “Research has shown that when people focus on this specific memory, it is often a highly meaningful one, which tends to improve one's well-being,”
Penulis : Raden Eki Turanggana
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