Is it nostalgia if things really WERE better in your past?

The older I get, the more I think life really \*was\* better 20 years ago.

I think about stresses and worries I have today. A dying planet. Tanking economy. Taking a coin toss on whether we'll be facing World war 3 in the next 10 years.

I had more friends, a more active social life. I had more fun and less worry. Life felt like an an adventure. Like anything was possible.

Sure, I had my ups and downs, but in the back of my head I always felt "Don't worry man, things will work out in the end."

Now I just grit my teeth every day, put the shoulder to the damn wheel and struggle to survive. Things aren't "going to work out" in the end. There's so much that feels like it's simply beyond your control. Life just tosses you about like a rag doll. You try your best? Roll the dice and fuck you very much.

Friends dying, confidence slipping. I don't know, I've never felt worse about my life and my prospects.

Maybe this belongs in r/depression

Does anyone else struggle with this stuff?