Chronically sentimental-Is this normal?

[Igglepiggle78]

Not sure if sentimental is the correct term. I’ve always been a fairly sentimental person and have vivid memories of my childhood and teenage years. The years since then have been generally happy and aside from obviously this horrendous year, I’m fairly happy.
But I can’t stop thinking about my past, it started more and more when I hit my mid 30’s (42 now) I love to think about my teenage years (my favourite years) and the person I was then and the excitement and experiences I had. Life isn’t completely boring now, I live abroad and have travelled lots and had a good career etc, but it’s massively dull compared to the past and fairly relentless with a toddler day in, day out, as m much as I adore her.
When I hear music from my childhood/teens/twenties it affects me so strongly, I even feel it for 4/5 years ago. How can I stop doing this, does anyone else to this extent? If I could be younger again with my family at home or go back to that teenage girl out clubbing every night, I’d do it in a flash, do it all again.

@Naughty1205 It definitely became stronger around 35 onwards..perhaps it’s that getting older part and coming further away from those years...
I don’t remember doing it so much in my twenties really, it would happen occasionally but not like the past few years..mid life crisis 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Daisychainsandglitter Ooh haven’t seen that, will look now 💓
I don’t think it will stop? I think the older we get, the stronger it will get.
I really wish we could all go back there, if only for a day.

It gets worse the older you get.

I’m not nostalgic to be young again, I’d HATE to be a teenager, but I have a similar thing. I’m nostalgic for the 90s and even the 00s.
It’s not that I’d like to be a teenager/early 20s as I was through those decades, but I just wish it was that time. Me with the other half and my child but 15-30 years back. I’m probably looking with rose-tinted spectacles but I think they were such magical and more lighthearted FUN years.

@felineflutter That’s really interesting. I have a need at times to return to see my old school and old haunts as a teenager, where everything took place..but I know it most likely would disappoint. I think there’s perhaps a lot to be said for keeping it in your memories.

@Igglepiggle78 yes my DH isn't like it at all, but he didn't have as happy a childhood (not anything terrible but not brilliant) and he's much more forward thinking in terms of obsessing about what's next. He's also terrible for not appreciating what he has now, worse than me really, always looking ahead.

The meme with the man thinking about houses, holidays cars etc and the dog just thinking about the moment resonates!

@BabyofMine Yes, I’d like that too, for those days to have stayed the same almost but to have my dp and Dd with me during them too..confusing!
I loved being a teen and feel so grateful to have had those years, old school friends and most I meet who are a similar age agree, we were very very lucky, we experienced so much, it was exciting every day..it didn’t last long enough though!
It’s a strange thing to feel like the same person you were back then but also someone almost entirely different.

@notheragain41 Yeah, the dog meme us spot on! I’m also in the future too, but that’s more of a worry/anxiety thing a lot of the time, I guess the past is my comfort.

I can be like this too. I get easily tearful over things. Music is very important to me as well and can set off all sorts of emotions.

I don't think that yearning will ever stop and I'm not even sure I'd like to go back in time on a permanent basis but I would love to go back even just for a day. I think this year has brought this out even more in me as I feel perpetually like its ground hog day at the moment.
Like a PP said, life was so much simpler, no responsibilities, no social media, great music, loved the fashion at the time what not to love! Sometimes I feel so nostalgic it almost hurts.

@Daisychainsandglitter ‘Sometimes I feel so nostalgic it almost hurts’

This.

It's comforting to know others feel like this.

@notheragain41 Definitely

I thought I was going through some kind of mid life crisis (Playing on the PStwo, watching Southpark, ect, things I did 20 odd years ago.) because I was hankering after things from 20+ years ago. (It's my birthday on the First of next month-47! ) Maybe I'm just being nostalgic?!
I always have my head in the past. I have such recall of events and details from my childhood up to around age 13, it gets a bit more patchy after that. Mind you, ask me what I did this time last week and I can't remember!

I’m not normally but the other day birds of a feather came on tv and the opening song gave me the strongest wave of nostalgia ever I felt all funny! It was like I was back being a kid settling down with tea and chocolate digestives with my gran. I could almost smell her house too (always smelt of hot pot).

If I were you I'd just think "how lucky am I to have such wonderful memories. What a privilege".

Oh same here. I went through a phase of listening to Absolute 80s every evening but had to stop because it just made me feel shriveled up and maudlin. If anyone has a cure let me know!

The smell of freshly cut grass at twilight takes me back to my childhood forty years ago. Mum and dad are gone now and the house sold but i try to think of the happy times we had.

When a poster said their grandmother's house smelt of hot pot i had images of an ageing hippi grandma smoking a joint before I realised it was some sort of stew.

I am 78, and sometimes get told by my two grown up children, that I live in the past, but it's not true. The reasons that my two adult children say this, is because for some time now, I have been documenting all my thoughts and memories because of my love of writing everything down, and one day hopefully,My son and Daughter will be able to read my 70 plus years of memories, and be glad that I have documented so much stuff from all the era's that I have lived through.. Basically, it's to try and keep my brain a bit active also.

I can relate in a way but maybe it's because I have DD16 (nearly 17) and can 'hear my mum' (rip 😪) in me now. When I'm worried if I haven't heard from her if she's been out (pre-covid) and I say 'you wait til you have your own children ' etc cos my mum would always say that if I was out late, remember pre mobiles, so wasn't as easy to keep in contact (having to have a few 10p's for the phone box!). I'm glad I'm not a teenager now but I do miss those years and wonder if I look through rose-tinted specs thinking if things were much simpler back then before social media? Good job really cos I hate to see photos of me falling out of nightclubs in my heyday

I know people like this, and I am a little bit this way, too, especially as I get older. I think it's just a normal personality trait. Some people are like this, others aren't.

I often feel like this too (am 43). My friends and I who have been friends since we were 17 are busy planning a holiday for 2022 as I just want to go out and have fun and not think about my adult responsibilities. I’m very happily married with an 8 and 10 year old but sometimes when I think about being 17 and with my whole life and choices ahead of me it almost takes my breath away that I’m probably almost half way through and then that’s IT. No running it back and starting again.

I’m having a really happy life and making the most of things but my teens were such a great time and I do feel very nostalgic for that time (also the 90s!)

I’m exactly the same. I’m completely happy with my current life but I love to lie around and listen to music from “old days” and reminisce about my childhood/teen years or the early newlywed days with my husband. In five or ten years I’ll be thinking longingly back to now! I’ve always thought it was a little silly of me since I wouldn’t actually go back for all the money in the world but I love to get all misty eyed about it.

A bear is not what I was going for there.