There are two things that keep my spirits up when everything seems to be going wrong—daydreaming and nostalgia. If you’ve got the blues, there’s nothing like cuddling under a warm blanket, grabbing a mug of hot tea and some childhood snacks, and thinking back to the good old days. (Preferably with an old movie, game, or soundtrack to help you get in the right mood.)

If you’re a nostalgiaholic who loves reminiscing about how things used to be and what we used to have, then the ‘Nostalgia’ subreddit will be right up your alley. A community of nearly 868k people, r/nostalgia is a place for everything—from things to commercials from our past, whether they’re happy, funny, or sad. Get ready to dive headfirst into your childhood. Just remember to upvote your fave pics while you’re swimming through long-forgotten memories.

Feeling nostalgic for some more nostalgia posts? Check out Bored Panda’s earlier article about the ‘Nostalgia’ subreddit right here. And be sure to let us know in the comments what you miss the most from your past, dear Readers.

Bored Panda spoke about nostalgia with Kemi Omijeh, a child and adolescent therapist based in London and a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. “Many psychologists, myself included, believe our childhood is the foundation to who we are as adults. It explains why we frequently revisit our childhood as it influences our present,” she explained. Read on for Omijeh’s full insights about the pros and cons of nostalgia, as well as how to control your daydreaming if it’s getting out of hand.

#1 I Miss This Cartoon Network

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#2 90’s Movie Theaters

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#3 Remade My Room From The 90s In A 3D-Software, As I Remembered It

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Therapist and BACP member Omijeh explained to Bored Panda that how we remember our childhood experiences directly correlates to the kind of childhood we’ve had. In other words (and to generalize a bit), we’re nostalgic about our childhood if our experiences are full of being loved and nurtured. Meanwhile, the opposite is also true.

“If we’ve had a difficult childhood, it can be hard to feel nostalgic, instead it will feel like something we need to get over in order to move on,” said Omijeh.

According to her, nostalgia, aka our brains reliving the fun and happy times we’ve had, is good and healthy. “Nostalgia can also be a good coping strategy for times of low mood and challenges,” she said. However, Omijeh points out that there’s a limit: nostalgia can become a hindrance to everyday life when it interferes with our everyday lives and our ability to be present.

#4 Blank Vhs Covers Had Some Wild Artwork

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#5 Does Anyone Remember The Pagemaster?

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#6 Actor Jonathan Hyde, A Staple Of Fun 90s Movies (Pictured: Richie Rich, Jumanji, Titanic, And The Mummy)

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“If we end up comparing it to our experiences today and feeling like nothing is as good as it was, then this will inevitably affect our mood and our ability to do what we need to do,” therapist Omijeh said. “We can become stuck in our nostalgia; in which case it might be best to seek help from a counseling professional to help you process your past in order to enjoy your present. You can find a counseling professional through the BACP.“

Another nuance is that when we’re living our past memories, we’re seeing them through a filter. The details might not be accurate and we’re reliving what we want to remember.

Considering that some of us (ahem, yours truly) can get stuck on daydreaming quite a bit, we were curious to find out what can be done to control it and feel more ‘present,’ instead of always floating about in fairyland.

#7 Fisher Price Farm

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#8 Elementary School Paper

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#9 Entertainment Cabinets, The Click Sound It Would Make After Closing

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“Identify your patterns. Think about the times you usually daydream, is there something about that situation or those times that mean you’re daydreaming? Do something about it if that is the case. Set a time limit, use a timer if it ensures you stop,” BACP member Omijeh said. “Write down the biggest thought or feeling as a result of the daydream. That way you’re not just stopping daydreaming. You are doing something positive as a nice transition from stopping daydreaming to doing something.”

She also suggests interrupting daydreams by reminding ourselves of action points and to-do lists. Even something like singing or humming your favorite song can work wonders to distract you. Not a fan of music? Try reciting a poem or remembering your math skills by doing the times table. In other words, do something, anything to distract yourself from your daydreaming if you feel that it occupies too much of your time.

“Finally, turn your daydream into a visualization or goal exercise. Your daydreams could be a communication about your innermost desires. Could you begin to plan how to achieve those desires?” the therapist mused.

#10 Sweater My Grandma Sewed For Me In The Early 90s

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#11 Legends Of Pbs

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#12 Cd Wallets… I Know They’re Still Around, But 90s Nostalgia

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Seeing how the r/nostalgia subreddit was formed back in 2008, in a very meta way, it won’t be long before someone’s nostalgic for its founding days as well.

Whether or not nostalgia is good or bad for you is a complex question, as we’ve seen. But, in short, it’s all about balance. On the one hand, living just in your memories draws you away from the present, making you blind to your surroundings and the important events happening around you. We should be happy with where we are in the present, not just the past.

And, well, if we’re not too content with where we are in life, it’s best to make some honest changes so we have some great memories to look forward to in the future. But nostalgia has some great upsides, too, and plenty of researchers and therapists agree.

#13 Viennetta, The Ice Cream That I Knew My Family Couldn’t Afford

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#14 Who Remembers Looking Through The Card Catalog To Find A Book?

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#15 I Truly Miss Rental Stores

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On the other hand, being nostalgic can have benefits as well. It’s no secret that the way we think and what we think about affects our daily lives. Similarly, Scientific American confirms that the bittersweet nostalgic feelings we get actually improve our mood, our vitality, and possibly even our mental health.

That’s because nostalgia boosts something known as ‘self-continuity’ which is how connected we feel to our past selves and the narrative we have about our lives. So it really does pay off to reminisce about the brightest parts of your life, full of loved ones, warmth, and wholesome activities. Just remember not to get stuck there for too long, Pandas—it’s time to make new heartwarming memories.

#16 90s High School Science Classroom

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#17 A Piece Of Childhood That Meant Warm And Fuzzy Memories. Gracie Films Logo

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#18 Anyone Still Remember Wacky Races?

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#19 Visiting Home And Mom Busts Out My Sheets From 1986

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#20 Wooden Playground: Despite Scorching Hot Metal Slides And Rubber Bridges – We Always Went Back For More…

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#21 The Golden Age Of Cartoon Network (1998-2005)

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#22 Anyone Else Want To Bring Back Kitchen Phones With The 10 Ft Cord?

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#23 Somehow, This McDonald’s Floor Was Always Sticky And Slippery At The Same Time

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#24 Bubblicious Watermelon Bubble Gum

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#25 Mcdonald’s Ash Tray

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#26 Arguably The Best Scooby Doo Movie, Scooby Doo On Zombie Island

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#27 Checking The New Release Section In Blockbuster

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#28 Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993)

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#29 Having To Watch The Price Is Right When You Stayed Home Sick From School

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#30 Ancient Cup From Pizza Hut. Nostalgic Enough?

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#31 Anyone Remember Seeing Wishbone?

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#32 Anyone Played Aladdin?

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#33 Flintstones Vitamins

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#34 “Zip Off” Shorts

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#35 The Dining Room Table & Chairs That Everyone Seemed To Have

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#36 My Collection Of Old Electronics That I Cannot Throw Out

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#37 Land Before Time! Pizza Hut Toys! In The 80s And Early 90s..pizza Hut Did Cool Stuff

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#38 Sand-Filled, Glittery, Rainbow Lizards

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#39 LEGO Ghost From The 90s. Glows In The Dark!

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#40 The Blanket That Was Set Over Every Grandma’s Couch

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#41 90’s Animation Drawing I Made

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#42 Game Boy Advance Sp

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#43 Going To The Mall In The 80s And Having A Wall Of Cassettes To Choose From

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#44 Getting Your Feet Measured Whenever You Got New School Shoes

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#45 Jeopardy! Alex Trebek Is And Will Forever Be Iconic, May He Rest In Peace

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#46 Anyone Remember The Creepy-Crawler Bug Maker?

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#47 The Cast Of Snl In The ‘90s

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#48 Throwback To The Times When You Could Happily Spend Hours Just Moving Piles Of Sand From One Place To Another

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#49 Ipod Silhouette Ads (Mid To Late 2000s)

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#50 Bazooka Joe Gum

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#51 School Maps Over The Whiteboard

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#52 The Toxic Smell And Taste Of Plastic Balloons

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#53 Christmas Life Savers Book

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#54 Big Wood Grain Console Tvs

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#55 Cooties

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#56 Corduroy, The Bear That Got Lost In The Department Stores

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#57 When Scooby Doo Gummies Were Actually Good

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#58 Remember When Mcdonald’s Happy Meal Toys Were Legit? The Battery Still Works In My Inspector Gadget Multi-Piece Toy 20 Years Later

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#59 Paper Plate Holders

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#60 The Leaning Tower Of Cheeza – A Goofy Movie

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#61 Mcdonald’s Halloween Pails

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#62 The Tupperware Lemonade Jug That Was In Everyone’s Fridge

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#63 Dinosaur Hand Puppets From Mcdonald’s

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#64 Chalk Holder To Make Lines. Teachers Used These At My School In 90’s

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#65 Who Remembers Tiny Sized Chiclets?

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#66 Twisted Metal

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#67 The True Story Of The Three Little Pigs

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#68 Pizza Hut

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#69 The Old Mcdonald’s Drive Thru Menu

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#70 Solid, Nasty Ass Vitamins

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#71 The Halloween Decorations That All Elementary Schools Had

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#72 Who Else Would Watch The Adventures Of Milo And Otis Like 6 Times In A Row When They Were 4

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#73 “Scrubs” Reminds Me Of The Mid 2000’s More Than Any Other TV Show

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#74 Best 99¢ I Ever Spent. Copyright 1988. I Have An Alf One And A Lambchop One Too

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#75 Microsoft Golf

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#76 Heads Up! 7up!

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#77 I’d Spend So Many Long Summer Nights As A Kid Watching Nick At Nite!

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#78 Tmnt Select Screen

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#79 Anyone Remember The Star Wars Pepsi Cans From Episode 1?!

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#80 The Kmart Cafe

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#81 Anyone Remember Gatorade Gum?

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#82 Rockin My Jnco Jeans Back In The Day

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#83 A 1996 Toys-R-Us Flyer

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#84 Anyone Remember Aladdin’s Castle Arcades?

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#85 Bass Fishing’ Game By Radica!

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#86 Kmart Halloween Costumes And Accessories, 1985

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Source: boredpanda.com