Nostalgia

Brittanica defines nostalgia as 'an affectionate and often sentimental feeling experienced when remembering past times, places, and experiences, especially those with happy personal associations,' and adds that, 'The feeling may also connote a desire to return to past times and places or wishing that they could be experienced again. Feelings of nostalgia are often triggered when people encounter a familiar smell or sound, when they speak to others, or when they feel lonely.'

As someone who, in their increasing years, suffers considerably from nostalgia I broadly agree with this definition except I would argue that, when I get an attack of nostalgia, it hurts - it is neither 'affectionate' nor 'sentimental'. My feelings are perhaps better reflected in the original definition of the word, when it was coined in 1688 by Swiss medical student Johannes Hofer. He blended the Greek words nostos (“return” or “homecoming”) and algos (“pain”).

Britannica continues, 'Hofer described the feeling as a “cerebral disease” that afflicts young soldiers, students, and domestic servants who are sent abroad and become consumed by a desire to return to their homeland.' As a 'disease' which causes pain it's definitely not good for you, and a professional would probably urge one not to indulge in it.

Yet I do. I find myself transported back to a place, to a time, to a world in which I was happy - such as the beaches of East Africa. I'm very good at forgetting the down-sides of life at that time, and at excluding any thoughts of how people and the places of my happiness will have changed, never for the better.