Dealing w/ nostalgia

Nostalgia is a beautiful feeling,… But I also find it painful at times.

Any tips/ life advice on how to cherish the past, while also accepting the present?

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@EyelessDoll

I am in the same boat as you. I miss those great moments. I wish I can go back to relive it. What I remind myself is that my best days are coming. Enjoy your present time with the ones around you. I hope you will have a great day. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.

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Hey @EyelessDoll :relaxed: Thanks for your post

I find myself stuck in the past a lot too. Unfortunately I tend to dwell on regrets moreso than happy memories, but maybe I can help

All good things must end, and that’s one of the hardest pills we have to swallow. It’s a real sad one! I’m sure you’ve had some truly wonderful times, maybe you’d do almost anything to go back.

I think the trick is to let yourself appreciate the loss of the past, because it’s real and important, but then to pull yourself into the present and see that there’s so much to love about where you are right now. I could spend all day in my head, and on that day I would see no stars, smell no flowers, pat no dogs, and make no plans for fun times in the future. It’s cheesy, but the present is so-called because it’s a gift :smile:

Here’s something: My great auntie loves to scrapbook after getting home from a vacation. My brother likes to play the drums when he’s figuring something out in his head. My best friend makes sense of his best and worst moments by writing them out in beautiful poetry. Maybe the past can be brought into the present with some art, or by making something meaningful to you? If you spend a lot of time back there, hey, maybe your brain is trying to lead you to something worth exploring.

This was a fun one to think about. Thank you!

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Hi @EyelessDoll,

Everytime I feel like I’m being nostalgic, what happened is exactly what you wrote: kind of a mixed feeling between beauty and sadness, light and darkness. It’s also a definition that really fits with a Portuguese word, “saudade”, if you’re curious to read about this one day.

It’s hard to realize that everything must come to an end but, thankfully, because we are human beings, we have the capacity of memory and we can remember the good old times in order to cherish them. Even if you’re no longer in the past, it’s still somewhere in yourself, it’s part of who you are. And that’s what’s magical about it all. Because the good times we’ve had continue to live through us. The people we’ve been happy to know or to love continue to influence our actions and thoughts. Yes, we are no longer living these moments or being with these persons, but they are still entirely part of us. Of who we are.

When I am gripped by an intense feeling of nostalgia, I try to welcome this feeling as it is. And, it often gives me a kind of deep creative energy. A kind of spark that gives me that particular sensation of being fully alive and part of this world. So, I listen to music that reminds me certain periods of my life, I write a little bit of poetry, sometimes I let myself go dancing, etc. This really echoes with what @Rick was saying, but I think that kind of feeling, when you try to acknowledge it into yourself, with all the benevolence of the world, is conducive to any creative or artistic activity. There are many examples of artists who have learned to explore this feeling through the act of creating! Maybe it would be worth trying for you. :slight_smile:

Take care. :two_hearts:

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@Micro
Thank you for your reply. I can really relate to your input
" Even if you’re no longer in the past, it’s still somewhere in yourself, it’s part of who you are. And that’s what’s magical about it all. Because the good times we’ve had continue to live through us. The people we’ve been happy to know or to love continue to influence our actions and thoughts."
It is so true that our past experiences still exist in our present. People and places change who we are. The experience is beautiful, but sometimes I find the aftermath saddening. I’ve never been good with goodbyes. Which is maybe why I find my memories so precious.
It’s great advice to channel these thoughts and feelings into creative works. I enjoy visual arts, particularly sketching and painting. I’ve also become active in free writing…
Thanks again for your input
<3
Eyeless

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