Why scrapbooks and scrapbooking are important for mental health

memory keeping

Mar 24

Scrapbooking can be therapeutic for the person creating the page or album. A scrapbook can be therapeutic for the person looking at the album. While photo albums are also nice, I believe that it’s even more important to be able to read the thoughts and memories that go with the photos so I’m a firm believer in scrapbooks. That can still include photo albums if you do pocket style scrapping that includes journaling on the photos or on separate cards.

I have A LOT of experience in these areas so I’m excited to share a few really key points:

I didn’t realize this when I started scrapbooking, but it became an important record that I needed to reference for medical reasons later on. When Alex began struggling as a toddler and we were working on speech therapy, the therapist wanted to know milestones related to his development. This became even more necessary when he was diagnosed with autism. We had to fill out endless forms that answered questions about his birth weight, head circumference, and different developmental milestones. The doctors were always impressed with how many of these I had written down and made things a lot easier. Even though you might not need your records for medical reasons, it’s still very helpful to have an overview of your life on hand. You will see changes and progress and how you overcame difficulties.

An interesting note about the layout below - I did not know Alex had autism when I wrote this journaling. He wasn’t diagnosed until he was 3 years old, but my journaling recorded a lot of signs of autism (aversion to change and loud noises, lining up items instead of playing with them, inconsolable tantrums, rigidity in routine, etc.) and it was useful to be able to tell his doctors what behaviors he was exhibiting at age 2.

Both of my children have gone to counseling over the years. I’ve also gone to counseling (I highly recommend it!). I’ve had family members and close friends go to counseling. I can tell you in most of these cases, the therapist suggested at one point that the patient bring a scrapbook or photo album with them to the session so they could look at it with their therapist and talk about their memories. Scrapbooks are a very useful tool in therapy. They are also a great way for anyone to remember that they matter. When you create even one page about somebody, you are showing them that they are important to you!

Papers from my Mentally Healthy paper pack

When I’ve gone through really tough challenges in my life, it helps me process the events by writing about them and including photos where possible. It’s up to you how in-depth you want to get on the journaling that will be shared with others. I’ve always tried to be open and truthful when reporting difficulties, but also am careful to frame them in a way that lets my children (or the reader) know that I learned valuable lessons because of this trial and help model positive reframing techniques for them to use as well. You can literally write your story the way you want it to be told.

Word art from Ali Edwards. Not sure on other supplies.

When you are scrapping about someone else, try to get them involved in the journaling when possible. Ask a child or spouse to tell you a few of their memories about the photo and then include those thoughts on the page. Send an email to a friend or family member with a photo attached and thank them for the memory and ask them about their favorite thoughts. Show others that you value their voice. It’s also a great way to bond with others.

The actual act of scrapbooking can be very therapeutic . Crafting and using your creative skills can bring feelings of satisfaction, happiness, and a sense of accomplishment. It is fun to find the right supplies and put together your words and photos in a visually pleasing way. Taking time to mentally process events as you document them means you are more likely to appreciate them and remember them.

It can be very rewarding to share your pages and albums with others. Make sure you show them off to friends and family. You might also enjoy sharing some of them on social media (be careful not to share information like your address or other privacy-related items) or in an online forum. Pull out your finished pages or albums regularly and look through them. Let those who you love see you doing this so they know that your memories and experiences matter.