How Feeling Nostalgic About the Holidays Can Improve Your Mood and Relationships

For some people, the holidays evoke warm memories of meaningful traditions, familiar sounds and foods, and time spent with loved ones. Often called nostalgia, these sentimental feelings can evoke both joy and longing during the holidays. And while nostalgia is sometimes bittersweet, it can also be used to improve your mood.

Nostalgia often refers to a longing or sentimental feeling about a time in your past. In some cases, nostalgia involves remembering the past as better or more memorable than the present.

Over the years, the way people perceive nostalgia has changed. In the early 1900s, nostalgia was considered a psychiatric or psychosomatic disorder (a form of mental distress causing physical symptoms). Later this was considered a form of depression. But today, mental health experts describe nostalgia as a positive emotion that emerges when someone reflects on their past.

Nostalgia can boost self-esteem, increase meaning, and build social connections. It can also improve well-being and relieve anxiety and depression.

Nostalgia can improve your mental health. This helps to strengthen your sense of belonging and reduce loneliness. Scientists hypothesize that this happens because happy memories trigger the release of habit-forming chemicals, like dopamine. This, in turn, can reduce your stress and anxiety and create contentment.

One study found that when people feel lonely, actively remembering happier times from their past can help them find more meaning in their current situation. Meanwhile, a survey of 2,000 adults found that nostalgia can also be a source of comfort and inspiration.

But remembering the past is not always a positive experience. Some people find that grief or bad vacation experiences from years ago can prevent them from feeling nostalgic. Stress can also make vacations less satisfying. A survey found that 43% of people say stress keeps them from enjoying the season.

If you’re looking to improve the way you feel this holiday season, try using nostalgia as a tool. Here are some ways to leverage nostalgia to improve your mood this holiday season.

• Remember the past, but live in the present. While it is important to remember the past, it is also important to be in the present moment. Spending too much time remembering can lead to stress, anxiety and depression. Instead, take memories from the past and bring them into the present.
• Practice gratitude. If you have recently lost someone, it may be difficult to remember them. To overcome these difficult emotions, use your nostalgia and aim for gratitude and optimism. This can help alleviate feelings of grief and hopelessness.
• Contact your loved ones. Look for ways to use your nostalgic thoughts to be more social. Invite your friends or family to participate in activities you once did, cook special meals with others, and arrange time to spend together to incorporate those memories.
• Write down your nostalgic thoughts. One study found that when people wrote about their past, they felt more loved and supported. These feelings also helped reduce their feelings of loneliness.
• Use nostalgia to become more authentic. One study found that when people were nostalgic, they viewed the past version of themselves as more authentic. In the present, it has helped them to be true to who they are and not be a people pleaser.