Dr. Danielle Forshee, Psy.D., spoke with Elite Daily about why the season of Fall is so nostalgic.
In fact, doctor of psychology and licensed clinical social worker, Dr. Danielle Forshee, Psy.D., tells Elite Daily that nostalgia is typically derived from positive past experiences. In other words, your autumnal nostalgia is probably stemming from happy memories you’ve made in the fall season throughout your life, and those same memories are simply making you feel good and excited for what the future season holds before it’s even officially begun.
This type of nostalgia is one to take full advantage of while you can, because not only can you revel in the memories of good times past, they can also be used to help you create new memories with family and friends. Autumn only comes once a year, which is why Forshee suggests jumping at every opportunity to celebrate the season in ways that are exclusive to brisk temperatures and vibrant foliage.
“Activities outside the norm that can only occur during the fall season, such as apple-picking, pumpkin-carving, fall festivals, and social activities that create lasting memories with our family and friends,” Forshee tells Elite Daily, don’t just hold a lot of special meaning; they also have the power to “raise self-esteem and foster social connectedness,” the psychologist adds. So, even if you’re not a fan of PSLs (um, why?), or even if you’re just feeling really bummed that yet another summer has come and gone in the blink of an eye, Forshee says the best way to get yourself out of that slump is to join in on the fall festivities while you still can.
So, I don’t know about you, but if you need me any time between now and Dec. 1 (my own personal, unofficial start to winter, in case you were wondering), I’ll be sitting pretty under a comfy blanket, sipping a large mug full of pumpkin coffee and reading Stephen King novels. That, or I’ll be filling up my social calendar with all the fall festivities, like wine tastings, apple-picking, grazing a pumpkin patch, or getting spooked in a haunted maze. Like memories, seasons come and seasons go, but it’s up to you to hold on to their own unique, nostalgic traits, and experience them for as long as you can.
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