The Positive Application of Nostalgia
There’s nothing like the start of a new year to prompt a wave of nostalgia for years gone by. In the weeks leading up to January 1st, social media is flooded with year-end recaps, top nine reviews, and even ten-year challenges. As a Cancer sun sign, I am here. for. it. — we Crabs have a lifelong habit of looking to the past with wistful romanticism.
But nostalgia plays a much larger role in our lives than just annual social media fodder. Psychologically, it’s often seen as a coping mechanism, a way to tune out the present moment and retreat into the idealized memories of yesteryear. In my own experience, I can relate to this. After all, I spent the first half of 2020 lost in a nostalgic, creative haze developing my 90’s themed oracle deck, only to launch the said product in the middle of a pandemic that I hadn’t even begun to let myself process.
That being said, many psychologists have found that there are positive benefits to nostalgia when applied correctly. According to professor of psychology Dr. Krystine Batcho, nostalgia “helps unite our sense of who we are, our self, our identity over time” and “gives us a sense of who we want to be […] in the future.” In other words, if we get curious about how to reincorporate elements of those nostalgic times into the present moment, then looking to the past becomes a tool for self-growth.
This website, FormerTeen online magazine, is the result of my own application of this positive use of nostalgia. Rather than spend another moment longing for the days of flipping through 90’s magazines while sprawled across my childhood bed, I decided to take the essence of my nostalgia and apply it to my future growth, to create an online magazine that takes the playfulness of the teen experience into adulthood.
Our official launch is on 1.22.22. Expect to see both cotton candy, teen magazine-style posts on fashion, celebrities, and entertainment as well as a look at more adult topics like mental health, sustainability, and social consciousness as seen through a youthful, optimistic lens. We may no longer be a group of teens flipping through our magazines, but that doesn’t mean we can’t apply a little teen spirit to the areas of our lives that need a little freshening up.
May your sense of nostalgia help you to grow this year & beyond. 🌱
xoxo,
Michelle Shea Walker
FormerTeen founder & editor in chief