Why We Reach for Nostalgia in Times of Crisis - The New York Times - 0 views
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Even things in recent history that I thought were awful only a few months ago — failing to avoid “Avengers: Endgame” spoilers, or the White Claw seltzer shortage — now pale in comparison to the ongoing trauma of … all of this.
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Even things in recent history that I thought were awful only a few months ago — failing to avoid “Avengers: Endgame” spoilers, or the White Claw seltzer shortage — now pale in comparison to the ongoing trauma of … all of this.
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“Trauma takes away our gray areas. It divides our timeline into a before and an after,”
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In this case, nostalgia serves as a kind of emotional pacifier, helping us to become accustomed to a new reality that is jarring, stressful and traumatic.
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“So if you watch a movie and remember who you watched it with as a kid, and maybe connect with that person and you reach out to them instead of just drowning in isolation, that can be really helpful.”
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“I have reached out to a few friends from high school in recent weeks, some of whom I haven’t talked to in years, and we’ve been in close contact lately.”
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during times of duress, our brains often take us to places that we subconsciously designate as “safe,” like past memories of a joyful vacation or happy childhood moments that made us feel loved.
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To harness that response, Dr. Saint-Jean suggests making a list of safe places when you’re not stressed, anxious or experiencing the mental and physical ramifications of trauma.
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“I’ve definitely been dressing more like my teenage self,” she said, “partly because I’ve been opting for comfier clothes anyway, but also because it feels good to lean into ’90s fashion and invoke the feeling of simpler times.”
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Which is why, according to Dr. Stoycheva, self-awareness is key when navigating not only the present moment, but the ways in which nostalgia presents itself as a coping mechanism.