Feeling stuck in the past, unhealthy nostalgia

[Messyandconceited]

Does anyone else have phases like this, it's like a feeling/mood settles on me sometimes and all I can think about is the past, specifically my teenage years. It's not even that I'm going over particular events, it's more about how it felt to be young. It makes me feel so sad and I don't really understand why, I had hard times growing up but lots of good times as well, but remembering any of it just makes me want to cry. Does anyone recognise what I'm talking about? It has happened to me before but I'm finding it really hard to shake off this time, starting to wonder if I'm having some sort of midlife crisis!

Not except I often think about the house I lived in in my twenties and I feel sad about it, not living there anymore. Is there something from that time that you don't have anymore ?

Yes, I get like this. Its comforting to look back and it can be a way of mentally escaping current circumstances. For me, it usually means I'm unhappy with how things are and I need to change/improve something. Im still working through it as a lot of issues feel out of my control. Im considering counselling to work through it as I feel I'm stuck at the moment and need to push forward.

Sometimes I think wistfully what it would be like to go back to my happy childhood and see my lovely Mum who passed away but other than that, I don’t dwell on the past, I’m the most contented I have ever been and that definitely helps.

Without wishing to minimise people’s problems, I genuinely believe being happy is something of a choice and you do need to work on it. What makes you happy?