Don't give in to nostalgia

I'm 34. It’s not that old. But I'm having to deal with a new feeling: mourning the lives I once lived. As you get older you start driving with road behind you as well as in front. And it becomes tempting to stare in the rear-view mirror at your past lives and forget to look at what’s in front of you. I’ve read plenty of advice about not comparing yourself to others. But nobody warned me about comparing myself to my past selves. I don't mean in a life gone wrong kind of way. My life is perfectly lovely. Yet I still find myself grieving what I've lost. Growing older is a long series of moments where you think: wait, I wasn't ready to let that go yet. It's subtraction as much as addition. Or a trade. More money, less time. A partner, a family that feels further away. Better mental health, worse physical health. Confident, less carefree. Each version of you had something the current one doesn't. And it can be tough to get over what you've lost and appreciate what you've gained. Social…