A Good Dose of Nostalgia
HOW I STUMBLED UPON NOSTALGIA AS SELF-CARE IN 2020
In grappling with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, many of us drew up lists of a multitude of projects we would tackle, the “things I haven’t had time for” that now we had all the time in the world to complete. It turned out not to be as easy as we might have thought. Many of us struggled to check off all or even any of the items on our lists as we attempted to adapt as best we could to the unwanted changes in our lives.
It was difficult to concentrate on anything at all, we felt we were in a constant state of upheaval, facing an unknown future - which by its very nature is of course always unknowable (proof: THE PANDEMIC); but it became impossible to predict or plan anything, making it all the more frightening. At times it felt like everything in our lives had changed and that we no longer had the control we once did. We no longer felt grounded as the gravity of the pandemic sank in and we grasped what it meant in terms of health concerns, in addition to lifestyle and economic changes.
I sat in lockdown in my house in Strasbourg, France where I was living at the time, completely uncertain as to what my future would look like. Everything I’d known for years was slipping from my grasp on both a professional and a personal level. As a conference interpreter my job was to provide a service to help people from different parts of the world understand each other in settings ranging from small business meetings to large conferences at international institutions. Suddenly, with a global pandemic raging, there were no meetings. None. Gatherings were cancelled, buildings were shuttered.
I had the wherewithal to know that I had to wrest my eyes from the constant stream of terrifying news about the spread of COVID and the havoc it was causing. First there was the tally we felt we needed to constantly be apprised of, then there was the initial realization that people were not only tragically dying but that they were dying alone, that loved ones could not be at their side to provide comfort or to say goodbye. Tent-hospitals were being set up in the hardest hit areas, one in Alsace just miles away from Strasbourg.
I busied my brain with carefully curated lists of Netflix programming (ie: whatever the algorithm suggested) and stretched out my clenched body with yoga and other occasional exercise videos. The lockdown in Strasbourg was strictly enforced and we were only allowed out of the house for one hour a day. My children, my dog and I actually started getting more exercise than usual as we would extend our walks for the full length of our allotted 60 minute period, discovering paths and parts of our neighborhood we had never been to.
Although this self-care regime was helpful, I sometimes still felt like I was spiraling. I didn’t know how any of the events on this roller coaster would turn out and most of all, if my children or I would get sick. We stayed home and did everything we could to avoid that outcome.
I searched for more ways to calm my nerves and to distract myself from the chaos around us. My attempts at reading the books on that infamous list had failed as my power of concentration had gone south for the winter. I had finished discarding the expired food from the kitchen cupboards and sorting old clothes to be taken to the Red Cross.
I turned to straightening the attic and it was then that I came upon the box of my grandmother’s travel diaries that I had brought home when she passed away in 2006. My half-hearted attempts at transcribing them for no clearly defined reason had all fizzled out at various times in the past. The moment was ripe to give it another go, I could now certainly fit it into my grueling schedule. I began with the first of several: Martinique 1959.
I was immediately drawn into a time-warp as I began typing her words into my computer, visualizing the places my grandmother and grandfather traveled and the time period in which they did so. But that wasn’t all that was happening. I was transported not only to the Caribbean in 1959 but to the many moments I shared with my grandparents throughout my life. I could hear their voices and their laughter, I relived family meals at their farm and pictured the green depression glass dishes that were so special to us.
The Adirondack Mountains during a family trip to Lake Clear, NY in 2013
I remembered the unique smell of their house, the hikes we took in the hills of the Adirondacks, the games we played together. I recalled the twinkle in their eyes as they made us laugh. As my mind meandered through what should have been dusty recollections but were in fact crystal clear memories, I went back to the time I spent with them as a young adult, when I lived with them for a time and worked on my French with Grandma as my highly competent tutor.
A multitude of sentiments enveloped me. While I missed them as I brought them to the surface of my memory pool, I also felt warmed, soothed and connected, protected even because I could draw on the strength of my ancestors.
THE BENEFITS OF NOSTALGIA
“Nostalgia has been found to help people deal with the stress and anxiety brought about by change.”
I was experiencing generous doses of nostalgia. I was comforted as I traveled back in my mind and amazed at how calming the experience was. The phenomenon I stumbled upon was quite surprising and, my curiosity piqued, I found a wealth of information about the benefits of nostalgia. I began to understand why I felt the way I did.
“Scientists have explored the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia, finding that it serves a positive function, improving mood and possibly mental health.”
I felt waves of calmness as I relived moments in my grandmother’s journeys and my own. My mood was lifted and I knew my “nostalgia project” contributed to my change in outlook as I began to feel I could cope.
“Nostalgia builds up psychological resilience.”
The positive energy I felt every time I sat down to continue transcribing inspired me to delve deeper and take the project further. My grandmother had included some photos she’d taken, some calling cards, a few hotel and restaurant receipts, stuffed in the pages of her journal many year ago. I scanned them and integrated them into my document. Wanting to illustrate her experiences more thoroughly, I began to search for photos, maps, descriptions of the places she spoke of in her writing. As I developed a multi-media document, I allowed myself to reach inside and call upon that creativity that had been laying dormant.
“Nostalgia may boost optimism, spark inspiration, and foster creativity.”
I gradually felt more grounded and, as I discovered more and more about my grandparents’ destinations, I felt increasingly connected to my past.
“Nostalgia boosted self-continuity by increasing a sense of social connectedness. Sentimental recollections often include loved ones, which can remind us of a social web that extends across people - and across time.”
NOSTALGIA HELPS KEEP PANDEMIC LONELINESS AT BAY
“Nostalgia can help combat loneliness and reinstate a sense of connectedness to people you miss.”
One can easily feel lost as we navigate the uncharted waters of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us are not able to see loved ones and feel more isolated than ever. As the physical isolation can make us feel disconnected from the people we love, we can begin to lose our connection to our own life, to our past, present and future. We lose any sense of continuity. As I re-read my grandmother's words, I felt that I was in her presence, spending some joyful moments with her. Through memories you can revive the sense of being connected to the people in your life, past and present.
“Nostalgia can contribute an overall sense of enduring meaning to one’s life.”
Revisiting our past through the use of sensory-soothing techniques can become part of our self-care routines. We can elicit nostalgia whenever we’re feeling out of sorts by looking at photographs, imagining culinary aromas or even cooking our favorite meals from our childhood, sharing stories, playing or listening to music, all of which can trigger meaningful memories.
“Research supports the effectiveness of embracing sensory-soothing activities to calm the nervous system and promote healing.”
As you travel along with my grandmother, memories of your own travels might be triggered. You’ll remember places you’ve visited and the people with whom you created those and so many other memories.
“You might think of nostalgia as a way to take a brief journey in your mental time machine.”
My “nostalgia project” has been one of the most soothing things I've done in years and I hope that you will enjoy and even benefit from this traveling adventure in space and time.