Have you ever been hit by that nostalgic feeling? A certain song, smell or photograph catches you off guard and you’re overcome by a warm reminder of a time from your past, or a memory of a favourite day.
At Create Gift Love, we’re proud that our customers choose us to help them share their favourite memories, which in turn trigger that particular feeling of nostalgia. So many of the things we make capture the most important occasions in people’s lives, whether it be their wedding day, new baby, milestone birthday or favourite holiday. But did you know that there’s more to sharing memories than just a brief happy feeling? Nostalgia actually has some huge benefits, both for yourself and for the people around you.
Nostalgia, by definition, is a sentimentality and affection for a moment or period in the past but historically, nostalgia does have negative roots. The word stems from the Greek meaning “homecoming” and “pain”, and it’s true that there can be a sadness in looking back at a special time that has passed or a loved one you miss. There’s a sense that these things are lost from us, but the science shows us that reflecting in this way can stimulate positive emotions!
Nostalgia has been shown to improve mood, relieve stress, contribute to positive mental health, provide comfort and raise self-esteem. (It can also increase your physical warmth – apparently!) When we reflect on people we’re close to, we feel supported and more connected to them, which makes us more supportive of others as a result. Feelings of sadness about the past are completely natural and understandable, but these can be balanced out to an extent by nostalgia’s positive effects.
When we know the benefits of nostalgia and the way it can make us feel, we can use it to our advantage. Nostalgia often hits us like a wave, washing over us and overwhelming us when we’re not expecting or prepared for it, but we do have the power to stimulate it ourselves and reap the rewards.
Nostalgia is the emotional response to reminiscence, so when you feel in need of a boost, a little motivation or support, you can draw on your memory bank to trigger these emotions. It’s also triggered by sharing memories with our families and friends, which is exactly what we do every day at Create Gift Love. Sharing in this way helps to maintain connections with our loved ones – and we all benefit from reminding each other of the past!
Photographs are a brilliant source of nostalgia, helping us to recall milestones and favourite memories. Our photo products are perfect for this, especially in the days of digital files and images kept hidden on memory cards and mobile phones. Our range of photo block items act as a great display solution for your favourite memories – a discussion point in the home – or our photo keyrings are a beautiful keepsake to carry around with you wherever you go.
It’s also been suggested that reflecting on previous milestones can help you focus on your current goals, and our “Never Forget” range does just that. Milestone moments are captured within our signature calendar design, and provide a constant reminder of the most important days in your life.
Gifting is an enormous part of what we do at Create Gift Love, and it promotes this sharing nature within us. With nostalgia on our side and a wealth of memories to reflect on, you can gift one of our personalised keepsake products in the knowledge that you’re not just making their day when they receive it, but every day after that when the swell of nostalgia washes over them.