Sure, and interestingly, it's right there in the name. Nostalgia is from Greek and could be crudely transliterated as something like "homecoming pain." Even if home wasn't perfect, there is a draw.

I'm chronically depressed and I have been for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I'm wistful for the sadnesses of yesteryear because it was relatively simpler. The world feels more complex now, and that's probably largely because my perspective continues to grow as I age. However, in addition to this, there's also a very introspective complexity — there was an odd liberation in being so low the only thing I wanted was to die. I'm very glad that I have things to live for nowadays, but also, part of me resents it. It makes things messier and it means that when I'm suicidal, it's not because I want to die, but because I want to live and feel I can't.

There's also all the duties that come with being older that mean that even when I'm not that kind of sad, I also can't really dwell on sadness and really stew like I sometimes want to. It can be cathartic to be a melodramatic arsehole, but often, I can't justify that because if I don't do the work needed to keep life ticking on, my "I want to live but I'm sad" might degrade to a "I want to die".

Nostalgia more often than not feels melancholy to me, in general. I'm not a fan, so I try not to dwell on the past, but instead plan my future.

Once every year or two I'll pull up the song that I attempted suicide to and cry my eyes out for a while. It's good to flex your emotions in a controlled space. Helps keep you well rounded, IMO.

For anyone curious, since I'm sure someone will be - 3 Doors Down - Away From the Sun

I feel this. Depression can be like a comfy blanket.

I think it's more that I'm nostalgic for the situations that used to make me sad because they were more simple than the problems I have now (although they never feel that way at the time). Being sad about sports and girls in high school looks way more fun in retrospect than being sad about health problems and the state of the world.

I am kinda nostalgic for the year 2013, despite the fact that I hated that year so, so much due to how insanely suicidal I was. But it did have some fun stuff, such as Random Access Memories (see what I did there?)

Holy shit, I opened Lemmy with the intention of making a post exactly like this. A relative of mine is graduating soon and is super stressed and saddened by it, and as a result I've been listening to music from around the time I graduated lately. remembering how I felt, and despite knowing I was not well, just longing and wishing and beautifying the feeling. I suspect it's because I just want a chance to redo some fuck ups. I've been listening to a LOT of the very sad, dark types of songs from back then once more, and just remembering the feeling so hard it started to unfortunately come back for real.

Anyone else immediately think of this? https://youtu.be/8UVNT4wvIGY?t=63

Yeah.

I miss being sad because I fell and scraped my knee.

Sure would beat being sad because of an imbalance of brain chemicals and also the general state of the world at large.