Nostalgia: Looking Back

Frank Perry T. Rubia

“One who does not look backcan never move forward.”

– paraphrased from Dr. Jose P. Rizal

Why am I reporting about nostalgia?

Do you still remember?

Do you still remember these?

The time when we bought loads of these?

Source: https://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luy7bkgEni1r6hffko1_500 .pngSource: http://www.filipiknow.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/chocnut.jpg

What were the opening themes of these?

Source: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Yetu1toIoyk/hqdefault.jpgSource: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YdEdyD3LSg4/hqdefault.jpg

Source: http://media.tumblr.com/b1ab87c561417d7a4e89b06636ab1f4f/tumblr_inline_mhcfnf72qb1qz4rgp.jpgSource: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4e/Voltes_V_Commercial_Banner.png

The last time you bought something from this extinct piece

of paper?

Source: http://tenminutes.ph/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/a43.jpg

Source: https://scontent-hkg3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xla1/v/t1.0-9/11998811_1058437530834118_1495417151852045806_n.jpg?oh=d7907ed3cd72a84b4810a54e6bf22f49&oe=5675B8FB

What is nostalgia?

“The mind may forget,but the heart always remembers.”

– unknown

What is nostalgia?

Defined by Encarta Dictionaries as:

– “a mixed feeling of happiness, sadness, and longing when recalling a person, place, or event from the past, or the past in general”

What is nostalgia?

HappinessSadnessLonging

What is nostalgia?

It is not the act of remembering.It is not about the things you remembered.

It is about the feelings evoked by remembering.

That’s why some find it hard to let go.

Ang korni no?

How to cope with nostalgia?

Nostalgia isn’t always a fluffy feeling.

Source: http://allenbwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/9-11.jpg

Nostalgia isn’t always a fluffy feeling.

“Ang pangit ng pakiramdam, pag maaalala ko yung dati naming bahay, yung mga dati naming kapitbahay, mga dati kong kalaro. Kaya ayaw ko nang bumalik (sa bahay namin sa Tacloban).”

– a friend’s words (non-verbatim, translated from Waray)

But nostalgia is associated with good times

“…Nostalgic memories are happy memories.”

– Dr. Clay Routledge, social psychologist

So, how to cope with it?

Nostalgia can be a painful feeling. But the trick to get over it is to focus on the right thing:

So, how to cope with it?

1) Remember how positive those days were.

So, how to cope with it?

2) Don’t compare your current situation with how it was before.

So, how to cope with it?

3) Explore new things to be nostalgic for.

“You should enjoy the little detours. To the fullest. Because that's where you'll find the things more important than what

you want.”

– ending quote, Hunter x Hunter (2011), episode 148

References:FilipiKnow (2013). Top 10 Favorite Snacks that Bring Back Our Childhood.

http://www.filipiknow.net/top-10-favorite-filipino-kiddie-snacks/. Date accessed: September 10, 2015.

FilipiKnow (2015). 20 Classic Filipino Toys That Will Make You Super Nostalgic. http://www.filipiknow.net/traditional-filipino-toys/. Date accessed: September 10, 2015.

Klosowski, T. (2015). How to Use Nostalgia to Your Advantage (Instead of Getting Stuck). Lifehacker. http://lifehacker.com/how-to-use-nostalgia-to-your-advantage-instead-of-gett-1681068093. Date accessed: September 10, 2015.

Merriam-Webster, Inc. (2015). Nostalgia. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nostalgia. Date accessed: September 10, 2015.

Microsoft Corporation (2008). Nostalgia. Encarta Dictionaries. Microsoft Corporation. United States of America.

“Past × And × Future”. Hunter × Hunter (2011). Author: Yoshihiro Togashi. Aired: September 24, 2014. Nippon Television.

Routledge, C. The Rehabilitation of an Old Emotion: A New Science of Nostalgia. Scientific American. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/the-rehabilitation-of-an-old-emotion-a-new-science-of-nostalgia/. Date accessed: September 10, 2015.

Wikipilipinas (2012). Filipino Traditional Games. http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php/Filipino_Traditional_Games. Date accessed: September 11, 2015.