What Is Nostalgia & Why Is It So Important?

The temperature of our favorite time of the year.

The site of the landscape of the environment we grew up in.

The taste of a home cooked meal.

The emotion of an old song that we once listened to on repeat for a month straight.

All of these things elicit a feeling so unique and powerful that it appears to transcend time and space.

It brings us into a state of being that cannot be described with anything other than just this one word.

It is nostalgia.

Nostalgia is one of the most unique and valuable capacities of the human mind.

It is the closest thing we have to time travel.

It gives us an opportunity to experience moment of our life while being completely free from our normal anxieties and uncertainties.

In general. every moment in life Carrie's with it a set of fears, anxieties, and stresses.

We are always concerned with making the next moment perfect and we worry about what tomorrow may or may not bring.

But nostalgia frees us from this.

When we experience nostalgia, we are given an opportunity to feel a moment as it truly was, void of any fear or uncertainty.

This is because the circumstances that we were worried about at the time have already passed.

At the time, our worries lied in the uncertainty of what the next several days, months, or years would bring.

But those days have since passed.

We have lived through the times that we were worried about and here we are, doing just fine.

Ironically, letting the state of nostalgia carry us into the past can remind us of the importance of appreciating the present.

It shows us that our desire to perfect all the moments of life is foolish and unnecessary.

It shows us that our fears and worries regarding the future are irrational and insignificant.

And it shows us that we are resilient and adaptable and that no matter what life throws at us, we can sustain and continue to create meaningful positive moments.

Nostalgia provides clarity in that even the moments that may have been stressful and did not seem so good at the time, can still carry a sense of great value and appreciation when viewed through the lens of hindsight.

This very moment in time, despite if there are things going on that may seem negative or stressful, will likely have a feeling of nostalgia attached to it when you are reminded of it in the future.

And if this is true, why not appreciate it right now as well?