Did you know that  our mental health can get a nice boost with the use of nostalgia?

The 1980’s. That’s my sweet spot. Though I really like listening to the music, for a while I felt some shame about it. The shame arrived when I realized that 1980’s songs are now considered throwback music and that young people put on parties to dress up like the 80’s the way I used to dress up as a “1950’s person” for Halloween.

But times are tough, and I can’t get hung up on petty stuff like being embarrassed that I’m getting older. Instead, I need to embrace some feel-good nostalgia.

Last night, I started watching Duran Duran videos on YouTube and singing along. Then I jumped on Amazon and invested $2.99 and watched the movie Splash.

The lobster scene is priceless. I started off the day feeling kind of depressed and ended the day feeling just fine. Maybe this nostalgia therapy works. (In the world of mental health, it’s referred to as Reminiscence Therapy which is hard for me to spell.)

Got memorabilia at home? Maybe it’s time to break out the photo albums.

If you’d like to play the nostalgia game with a friend, here are some questions to get the party started:

• What was your favorite summertime activity? 
• Who did you run around with when you were 10? How about 13?
• What games did you used to play?

I care about your beautiful brain and want you to feel as good as possible. Feel free to comment below and share a happy memory in as much detail as you’d like. I already know it will be interesting to read! (If you’ve got a special memory of attending a Cuddle Sanctuary event, that would be a lovely gift of nostalgia for us both!) Good luck as you navigate today, tomorrow and the next day. Let’s keep doing this.