If I could use one word to describe nostalgia, it would be fragrant. It is one of the most beautiful human experiences to have, yet it is simultaneously sobering.

You see a picture, watch a video, hear a song, smell something, see a movie, or imagine the setting in your head. You start to wish you were there more than anywhere else. But you know that’s impossible. The world and your life are very different now.

You also look through that experience with rose-colored glasses. You know there were more challenges than you remember. But that gift of having those memories as more than just a simple throwback, but a sensory experience that evokes a mix of strong emotions, is powerful.

The Power of Nostalgia Across Generations

Right now, Gen Z is experiencing a fascination with this concept. Around this time of year, look on Instagram Reels, and you are bound to come across a post reliving the nostalgia of what it was like to be in elementary school on Halloween.

Something that many people feel they may have taken for granted at the time. No words, just pictures of that day that are so powerful that the pictures don’t even have to be of your own school to evoke such a strong reaction.

Looking back at symbols that millions of Gen Zers find nostalgic, like Pillow Pets, Nickelodeon and Disney Channel shows, holidays, and early 2000s pop songs, can bring us back to a time when we were growing into the people we are now.

How Nostalgia Shapes Our Life Stories

Our life stories are an ever-evolving and constantly updating sensory narrative of our lives, where nostalgia lives and stays with us. It shapes how we see our world and gives our experiences meaning.

Nostalgia isn’t just about reliving; it’s about reflecting on how that memory shaped us and how much life experience we have had since.

I want to bring awareness back to the concept I spoke about previously: the melancholy part of nostalgia.

While it can be upsetting to think about the reality that this event now only exists as a memory, reframing it can make it feel more empowering. It is important to balance that feeling of longing to be there with gratitude that this event stuck, even after a lot of time and a lot of life circumstances have passed.

One of the most fascinating parts of nostalgia is that events that may seem mundane right now may be things you look back on with high levels of nostalgia in the future.

You may notice the vibe you get from each nostalgic memory varies in feelings, even if there’s an underlying fragrant, bittersweet feeling across the board.

For example, nostalgia for elementary school, middle school, high school, and college all serve vastly different purposes with vastly different vibes, but nostalgia does not stop in childhood.

Passing Nostalgia on to the Next Generation

Something powerful about nostalgia is that things we pass on to the next generation can be inspired by our own nostalgia.

This makes way for both traditions and new customs to spread a unique sort of nostalgia to the next generation. In a way, this can be like giving back.

Using Nostalgia as a Tool for Self-Reflection

When engaging in reflective self-care, such as journaling, mindful storytelling, therapy, and art, nostalgia can be a powerful anchor for inspiration.

I challenge you to think of some prompts related to nostalgia that resonate with you to allow reflecting on it to be a meaningful experience.

There are so many! And the questions you answer are going to vary vastly based on when the event occurred and what it means to you.

Here are just some examples:

• What does the memory of this event mean to you in the here and now?
• What lessons did you learn from this experience?
• What feelings are coming up for you as you are thinking of this event?
• What would you want to tell your younger self who is living that nostalgic memory?
• Which details are most fragrant for you as you are recalling this event? How are these significant to you?