Decoding Nostalgia:
A Journey through Past Versions of You
by Nanci Bradley
Lately I’ve been feeling nostalgic for a life path that I didn’t end up taking, the way that I had envisioned my future when I was a child. It led me to ponder my life path, the twists and turns it took and how it all led me here, to this career and this lifestyle and this version of me.
But I know that many people, when they feel this nostalgia for the past, for old relationships and the dreams of your childhood – it can sometimes lead to questions about whether you have made a mistake.
Is your current path actually the right path for you?
Why do we feel nostalgic?
When we feel nostalgia for the past, even if our logical mind knows that it wasn’t right for us, whether it was unhealthy or just wouldn’t have allowed you to be true to yourself, it is usually our mind and emotions craving the familiar.
You might notice how much more comfortable and easy it is to stay in your familiar routines and rhythms. Even if logically those routines are not actually for your highest good. This is because we can use the same neural pathways that we have always used, by doing the same things we have always done.
Stepping out into the unknown – no matter how big or small that step is – will usually have some discomfort attached.
The nostalgia you are feeling is simply a symptom of that – your mind, body and emotions craving those old patterns and pathways.
When we have always been unhappy or angry or anxious, the idea of doing something different so that you can feel differently is often so uncomfortable you avoid it like the plague – or it may not even be an idea that enters your head in the first place.
So are you saying nostalgia is bad?
Not necessarily, when you can acknowledge the nostalgia for what it is – and even get to the root cause of why you are feeling nostalgic for something.
And in many cases, our old ways of living had good moments too. It is very natural to miss them sometimes, even when you are very excited by your new way of living.
For example,
My recent craving for another life path, one where I studied something more traditional at university and perhaps even had a more traditional life.
Separating from this nostalgia and seeing it from a wider perspective was pretty easy in my case, as I know with all of my soul that my life path is perfect for me. This is the first stage – finding a wider perspective that allows you to see your choices from a birds eye view and understand how they led you to where you are today.
Then when I dove deeper into this moment of nostalgia, I realised that I was craving the safety of study – the more definite deadlines and safety-net of being separated from the ‘real world’.
By understanding this, I can begin to work with it however I need to – whether that is through sessions, meditation, journaling or something else entirely.
And should I be changing my life?
At the end of the day, this is your decision and a very personal one. You could ask yourself:
- Do I feel satisfied with my life?
- Do I feel excited by my life?
- Is there anything else that I want, but don’t have yet?
If there is some aspect of your life that you want to change, most of the time you will need to begin the process of that change yourself. Either by becoming more aligned with the version of you who has the thing or taking steps to begin moving in the right direction.
Good luck and I look forward to meeting the new you!
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