"Nostalgia can remind us to be present in the moment and savor our experiences; it's a way of connecting our past emotional experiences with our present life," says Lindsey Ferris, MS, LMFT, a Seattle-based psychotherapist. This insight highlights how nostalgia serves as more than just a longing for the past; it can be a powerful tool for enhancing our current emotional awareness, helping us appreciate where we are now through the lens of where we’ve come from.
Grief and nostalgia, I've noticed, are close cousins. We ache for what was, and what we miss. I lost my mother over 23 years ago, and, having lived almost half of my life without her, I know what a balm nostalgia can be. I often go back to the cocoon of my '80s childhood. If I hear a Dolly and Kenny duet, or catch Sesame Street on TV, or taste a lemon meringue pie, I can feel my mother near me.
It's wild to be a parent and feel like a kid, all in the same moment. When my daughter and I are in Sephora, sniffing the Sol de Janeiro sprays, I can't help but think of shopping with my own mother, going to the Clinique counter and coming home with the infamous toner and yellow-tinted moisturizer. We bonded over the tiny travel lipsticks, and all the free gifts.
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