For subscribers
When you start missing the good times before they actually end
It is called anticipatory nostalgia, and it is not always a bad thing.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
If you have ever felt melancholy towards the end of your vacation, or become pensive about an impending farewell, you are not alone. There is even a term to sum up how you might be feeling – anticipatory nostalgia, or the sense of missing something before it is over.
As a child, I recall feeling towards the end of family trips a pang I could not name, knowing only that I yearned to extend this carefree time a little longer. Growing up, I remember keenly how I felt during various long-distance relationships, driven to tears far ahead of the actual parting.


