For a long time, even nostalgia was considered a disorder. There were even treatments prescribed for it, especially during the 10th to 19th centuries. Thankfully, feeling nostalgic is not considered to be a disease now, in fact, it may have many benefits which aid in positive and healthy ageing, especially for seniors. According to Psychologists, REMINISCENCE THERAPY is “the use of life histories-written and oral or both-to improve psychological well-being”. This type of therapy is especially useful for seniors suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer’s, as it helps them feel less agitated and boosts their mood. Given below are some added benefits of how reminiscing can help seniors:
1 Improves Quality of Life
Many times humans reminisce about happy memories, and this leaves one feeling brighter and chances are you will be smiling more as you reminisce about the good old memories with family and friends. Suddenly you might remember some pranks with your friends and start smiling.
2 Reduces Symptoms of Depression
As mentioned earlier, reminiscence therapy is commonly used for people who are struggling with depression, and dementia. Reflecting on your life can not only feel good about yourself, and raise your self-esteem, but it can also distract you from worrying about underlying medical conditions or other stressful things.
3 Resolution of Unresolved Conflicts
Many times people experience conflicts when they were younger, and reviewing those experiences with a more mature mindset can be a way that can help people find closure, and even mend previously broken relationships.
4 Can Improve Physical Health
Simple activities like recalling past experiences can help have a positive effect on one’s body. A study has shown that seniors who actively reminisced showed lowered blood pressure and heart rates.
5 Improves Communication skills
Thinking about the past can reignite certain emotions which helps in improving communication skills. Research has shown that remembering certain events from the past can help seniors form new pathways in their brains, which aids in communication skills.
There are many ways one can reminisce about events from the past, with one of the most common methods being flipping through old photo albums. Seeing familiar faces and places can help bring back memories. Playing your favourite music is also a good way to reminisce about the good old times, you may even try writing the thoughts that come into your mind when you reminisce about the past. So next time you find yourself thinking longingly about the days gone by, encourage those thoughts, and think freely about them, they will help you age in a healthy manner. So seniors, make it practice to reminisce about your past to live a healthy life, but it should not so happen that you are always living in your past, if you do so instead of improving your health, the reverse may happen.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
11th July 2023