Nostalgia originally referred to a severe emotional and physical condition, causing homesickness and rendering sufferers incapacitated. It was a legitimate reason for voluntary release from military service until the 1860s. While nostalgia can provide comfort, too much can create an unhealthy distortion of reality. It’s important to address painful feelings of homesickness and seek professional advice if necessary.
The word nostalgia comes from two Greek words: nostos, which means “return home”, and algos, which means “sorrow”. The medical professionals who coined the word in the late 18th century were describing a severe emotional and physical condition, not the current meaning of the melancholy thoughts of yesteryear. Originally, homesickness was seen as a crippling condition that rendered sufferers incapacitated through hopelessness or intense homesickness. Soldiers suffering from this condition were often withdrawn from service to recover their sense of purpose.
In fact, homesickness was considered a legitimate condition for voluntary release from military service even as late as the 1860s. If a soldier becomes too overwhelmed with thoughts of home or the life he has left behind, his fighting skills could be impaired. . Harmful effects have been a major problem for militaries and other government agencies around the world for hundreds of years. Only with the improvement of treatments for melancholia and depression did the clinical definition of nostalgia begin to fade from history.
Almost everyone has experienced nostalgia in its modern sense, as a melancholic childhood memory or a strong feeling of homesickness. It can also trigger a sense of euphoria when a pleasant memory is recalled. In fact, a number of industries and services depend on their customers’ feelings of nostalgia and longing. Toy companies routinely bring back favorite childhood toys of an older demographic, while TV production companies re-release older titles to tap into viewers’ sense of nostalgia. The popularity of collectibles stores also indicates its commercial value.
While nostalgia in reasonable doses can provide a sense of comfort for stressed adults, too much can have a negative effect. It is very common to believe that a previous decade was preferable to today’s conditions, but this view can be misleading. People who grew up in the 1950s may remember hula hoops, Elvis Presley, and penny candy, but they don’t usually indulge in memories of McCarthyism, repressive roles for women, and a lack of racial equality. Every decade has its good and bad sides, so an unrealistic sense of nostalgia can create an unhealthy distortion of reality. Some people may become enmeshed in feelings about a more ideal past that, by comparison, make their current life seem trivial or unsatisfying.
Painful feelings of homesickness can often be addressed by buying a loved item or planning a visit to a childhood hometown. It can hurt more when combined with feelings of hopelessness or helplessness. The power of knowing that you can revisit parts of your past can help lessen the effects of nostalgia or homesickness. It’s important to remember, however, that these feelings are normal and healthy, but making a conscious effort to live in the past may not be. If a healthy sense of homesickness seems to be turning into an unhealthy depression, you should seek professional advice to get yourself back into balance.
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