I’d gone in-depth about nostalgia for the past in a couple of great interviews with child and adolescent therapist Kemi Omijeh, who is based in London and is a member of the BACP.
"The period of time we tend to be nostalgic over are significant moments that stood out. Perhaps it was a time when we felt happiest or safest, or perhaps it’s a period where things changed for us,” she told Bored Panda.
"Our memories of the past can change over time depending on how often we revisit and also depending on what is going on for us in the present,” the therapist said.
She joked that "of course, the '90s was better! But then again, I may be being very biased here." According to Kemi, our impressions of each decade are directly influenced by who we were during those time periods.
"Generally speaking, the better decade is associated with youth and freedom. Nostalgia also often gives us rose-tinted glasses from which to reflect. How we reflect on the past decades can play a part in how we engage with the current decade,” she said.
"Many psychologists, myself included, believe our childhood is the foundation to who we are as adults. It explains why we frequently revisit our childhood as it influences our present," the therapist told Bored Panda that we’re nostalgic for the times that we felt nurtured and loved.
However, the opposite is also true. “If we’ve had a difficult childhood, it can be hard to feel nostalgic, instead it will feel like something we need to get over in order to move on," she said.
"Nostalgia can also be a good coping strategy for times of low mood and challenges," she said, warning that we should keep in mind that if it starts preventing us from living in the present, we should start getting worried.
“If we end up comparing it to our experiences today and feeling like nothing is as good as it was, then this will inevitably affect our mood and our ability to do what we need to do. We can become stuck in our nostalgia; in which case it might be best to seek help from a counseling professional to help you process your past in order to enjoy your present,” she said.
#15 This Was A Huge Thing Back Then For Sure! Just Had To Look Out Your Window.
