Do you

craftytam

craftytam

Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
Do you scrap sad/difficult/traumatic events?

Does it help you process the memories and heal, or leave you hurting? Are there things you scrap just for healing/processing and won't share with anyone or add the layouts in your printed scrapbooks?

There are a lot of hard things that I am processing from this year.
I have other years where I'm just getting to the point where I can look at the photos.

Okay, yes, I am an very highly sensitive person, so things that might seem like not a big deal really affect me. And, yes, I am in therapy now. :D

What are your thoughts on how you deal with photos or memories like this?
 
I definitely do scrap hard times and emotions. It really does act as therapy for me. There has been a lot of loss of different sorts in my life, especially in the last five years and it is good to release those thoughts and emotions. It may take time for me to get to that place where I can verbalise things though.
 
fruitysuet said:
I definitely do scrap hard times and emotions. It really does act as therapy for me. There has been a lot of loss of different sorts in my life, especially in the last five years and it is good to release those thoughts and emotions. It may take time for me to get to that place where I can verbalise things though.
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I think that's my biggest thing - verbalizing - being able to put words to those very hard feelings.
 
I am also a very sensitive person and it's hard for me to scrap the hard times. But after some time has passed and I've been able to handle the emotions more I am able to put words into it and scrap about it.

I don't know what you're going through but am sending you big hugs
 
I'm like Lea. I scrap sad or hard times in retrospect, even years later. When my Nana passed, I scrapped her funeral, and it ended up being a lovely remembrance of her, and I'm so glad now, that I documented that time.

15 years after my military service I scrapped about some of the really tough challenges I faced then. Not sure I could've done it when it was still fresh.

Hugs to you for whatever you're going through Tammy.
 
I scrap all spectrums of my life- good & bad. Sometimes I too have a hard time verbalizing, so I just dont journal. I think it as a form of therapy too- so many photo-less or journal-less pages are just what I needed.
 
I have scrapped some sad/hard things. I don't always share the pages.
When one of my daycare littles passed away, it was very therapeutic. She was mine from 6 weeks old till 4 1/2 years old. It took me months to start pages, but then I did one page after another and it really helped me to grieve her.
 
craftytam said:
Do you scrap sad/difficult/traumatic events?

Does it help you process the memories and heal, or leave you hurting? Are there things you scrap just for healing/processing and won't share with anyone or add the layouts in your printed scrapbooks?

There are a lot of hard things that I am processing from this year.
I have other years where I'm just getting to the point where I can look at the photos.

Okay, yes, I am an very highly sensitive person, so things that might seem like not a big deal really affect me. And, yes, I am in therapy now. :D

What are your thoughts on how you deal with photos or memories like this?
Click to expand...

Girl. I scrap allllll the hard things. Getting it’s out on the page is incredibly healing.

Weirdly I share most of the stuff I scrap even in regards to trauma- though if I’m including really personal journaling I will either not share the page or hide it… but if it’s just visual, I share away.

I really think it’s important to normalize the human experience- good bad and ugly. And art journaling is one of the ways I’ve done this over the years.

I’ve been thinking about putting together a class on art journaling because I’m always hearing that people love my work but couldn’t do it themselves- which isn’t remotely true. I think that art journaling is achievable for everyone and I want to open people up and allow them to give it a try. Sometimes it’s easier to do that with some guidance.

One of the biggest things to keep in mind is that when it comes to therapeutic art like this - the process is more important than the product. So I’d say, just give it a go and then if it feels like too much to share, don’t.
 
Like everyone else who has answered, I find scrapbooking my troubles very therapeutic.
Even if you aren't ready to make a whole layout about it, I think journaling is one of the healthiest habits a person can develop. I type my thoughts rather than write them because my brain thinks faster than I can write. It was only after I noticed that all my entries about divorcing my husband came about the same time every month that I was able to realize that {a small, surely} part of the problem was related to my hormones. Also, journaling makes me more aware that I mostly adore my husband, and when I wasn't typing up my thoughts on a regular basis, I just believed whatever I felt at that moment was true.
Sorry, that was long. I'm a huge fan of processing feelings rather than stuffing them or exploding them, and I'm an English teacher. It's hard for me not to turn my answers into a lecture. ; )
 
I scrap some things but not all. There's been A LOT of tough stuff these past few years. It hit me the other day that we never really got to enjoy our new house because my son had a life-altering seizure a month after we moved in and the medical chaos has not stopped since.

There are pages in my son's scrapbook that only my mom and husband have seen. I took a bunch of pictures during his big hospitalization because it's such a big part of his story. I don't think I've looked at them since but it was so important to me that he be able to have this history documented. There's also the take-home EEG we had around Halloween in 2021 (and how I made him into Frankenstein's monster with it because Halloween) and everything we did that weekend. I don't think anyone except my mom and the friend who delivered plushies and coffee to us even knew what we were going through.

I've started and deleted a bunch of pages recently because I needed to spill my guts but I don't want those raw emotions hanging around forever. I need to have my mini breakdown and just keep on rolling. I think once we're FINALLY on the other side of all these hurdles (all at once because when it rains, it pours until it floods here), I'll have some pages to make.

I also put a lot of positive spins on things. Like when what should have been a simple outpatient surgery put us in the IMCU (step-down from the ICU), I scrapped the sunrise over the city from the new addition to the children's hospital.

I apologize that my thoughts are all over the place here. I hope something I said is helpful and that you find peace if/when you choose to scrap things.
 
I do scrap them too and most of the time they got have journaling like I wright all the feelings down to wright them off my shoulders
 
Leablahblah said:
I am also a very sensitive person and it's hard for me to scrap the hard times. But after some time has passed and I've been able to handle the emotions more I am able to put words into it and scrap about it.

I don't know what you're going through but am sending you big hugs
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That totally makes sense. I think time gives us perspective and the ability to work through things.

Thank you so much, Lea :wub:
 
Great question and something I haven't thought about it. Now that I am thinking about it, I don't. Not that it is a conscience decision, I just avoid it. Even in my daily emails to myself for my Project Life album is mostly the good. Although lately I have been adding more of the bad. I blame peri-menopause!!
 
jacinda said:
I'm like Lea. I scrap sad or hard times in retrospect, even years later. When my Nana passed, I scrapped her funeral, and it ended up being a lovely remembrance of her, and I'm so glad now, that I documented that time.

15 years after my military service I scrapped about some of the really tough challenges I faced then. Not sure I could've done it when it was still fresh.

Hugs to you for whatever you're going through Tammy.
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It's interesting we're able to process some things "in the moment" or relatively soon afterwards, where other things take time to process and grieve.

Thank you so much, Jacinda! :wub:
 
AmieN1 said:
I scrap all spectrums of my life- good & bad. Sometimes I too have a hard time verbalizing, so I just dont journal. I think it as a form of therapy too- so many photo-less or journal-less pages are just what I needed.
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Photo-less or journal-less pages are a great strategy!
 
StacyLynn said:
I have scrapped some sad/hard things. I don't always share the pages.
When one of my daycare littles passed away, it was very therapeutic. She was mine from 6 weeks old till 4 1/2 years old. It took me months to start pages, but then I did one page after another and it really helped me to grieve her.
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That's a very difficult thing to process. I'm so sorry.
It makes sense that it would take time before you'd be able to start pages. It sounds like scrapping was very helpful once you were able to get going.
 
karlimarie said:
Girl. I scrap allllll the hard things. Getting it’s out on the page is incredibly healing.

Weirdly I share most of the stuff I scrap even in regards to trauma- though if I’m including really personal journaling I will either not share the page or hide it… but if it’s just visual, I share away.

I really think it’s important to normalize the human experience- good bad and ugly. And art journaling is one of the ways I’ve done this over the years.

I’ve been thinking about putting together a class on art journaling because I’m always hearing that people love my work but couldn’t do it themselves- which isn’t remotely true. I think that art journaling is achievable for everyone and I want to open people up and allow them to give it a try. Sometimes it’s easier to do that with some guidance.

One of the biggest things to keep in mind is that when it comes to therapeutic art like this - the process is more important than the product. So I’d say, just give it a go and then if it feels like too much to share, don’t.
Click to expand...

You are totally right about normalizing the human experience. We all have our "stuff" and we all deal differently.

I would love to take your art journaling class if you end up doing it! Or if you want a guinea pig, I'm up to the challenge. It's something I've always wanted to try, but my perfectionist self has a hard time with "messy." :D
 
joelsgirl said:
Like everyone else who has answered, I find scrapbooking my troubles very therapeutic.
Even if you aren't ready to make a whole layout about it, I think journaling is one of the healthiest habits a person can develop. I type my thoughts rather than write them because my brain thinks faster than I can write. It was only after I noticed that all my entries about divorcing my husband came about the same time every month that I was able to realize that {a small, surely} part of the problem was related to my hormones. Also, journaling makes me more aware that I mostly adore my husband, and when I wasn't typing up my thoughts on a regular basis, I just believed whatever I felt at that moment was true.
Sorry, that was long. I'm a huge fan of processing feelings rather than stuffing them or exploding them, and I'm an English teacher. It's hard for me not to turn my answers into a lecture. ; )
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I really appreciate that you expounded on your journaling and how it has helped you understand a "cycle" (no pun intended. lol).

I have really just started journaling top of mind and not worrying about what it looked like or even if it makes sense. I always wanted to journal, but my mind went blank every time I picked up a pen or pencil! Now I just write. I don't know if I'll go back and read it any time soon, but it does help to get it down on paper.
 
Brendazzle said:
I scrap some things but not all. There's been A LOT of tough stuff these past few years. It hit me the other day that we never really got to enjoy our new house because my son had a life-altering seizure a month after we moved in and the medical chaos has not stopped since.

There are pages in my son's scrapbook that only my mom and husband have seen. I took a bunch of pictures during his big hospitalization because it's such a big part of his story. I don't think I've looked at them since but it was so important to me that he be able to have this history documented. There's also the take-home EEG we had around Halloween in 2021 (and how I made him into Frankenstein's monster with it because Halloween) and everything we did that weekend. I don't think anyone except my mom and the friend who delivered plushies and coffee to us even knew what we were going through.

I've started and deleted a bunch of pages recently because I needed to spill my guts but I don't want those raw emotions hanging around forever. I need to have my mini breakdown and just keep on rolling. I think once we're FINALLY on the other side of all these hurdles (all at once because when it rains, it pours until it floods here), I'll have some pages to make.

I also put a lot of positive spins on things. Like when what should have been a simple outpatient surgery put us in the IMCU (step-down from the ICU), I scrapped the sunrise over the city from the new addition to the children's hospital.

I apologize that my thoughts are all over the place here. I hope something I said is helpful and that you find peace if/when you choose to scrap things.
Click to expand...

I'm so sorry it's been a rough few years for you. I hope things improve!

I'm glad that scrapping has helped with some of the processing and healing! :wub:
 
wendyp said:
I do scrap them too and most of the time they got have journaling like I wright all the feelings down to wright them off my shoulders
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I kind of think it's important for our kids to see the layouts of "bad or hard" times and that we made it through. It totally makes sense to get the feelings off of you and into a layout!
 
kristalund said:
Great question and something I haven't thought about it. Now that I am thinking about it, I don't. Not that it is a conscience decision, I just avoid it. Even in my daily emails to myself for my Project Life album is mostly the good. Although lately I have been adding more of the bad. I blame peri-menopause!!
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It's so interesting that you don't do it even in your PL emails and that it's not by purposeful decision!
LOL! I totally agree about blaming peri-menopause! :D
 
I have always scrapped about the hard things, but like other, in retrospective. Putting words down on paper has always been my go to therapy.
 
I scrap a lot about me. I'm not sure when it started exactly, but it was quite a few years ago. I realized no one was going to tell my story if I didn't. I have to admit that sometimes I feel embarrassed (not really, I don't know the word right now) to share so much about myself online. I usually always have at least one person tell me they are going through the same thing.

I believe the more we share the truth of our lives, the better it is for all us, especially with so much social media only showing the perfect or pretty sides of life.

I have a pretty good mix of good and bad, and looking through my gallery, even when I am working through something bad, I'm forever turning things into positive thinking.

Some inspiration from my gallery!

I've scrapped about troubles and bad things in general:













I've scrapped about losing my grandmother:



I've scrapped about breast cancer:











I've scrapped about losing my Mama:









I've scrapped about chronic back pain and/or my spinal cord stimulator:





 
Thanks for sharing Sheryl! I agree with you. Sharing is important. We all feel alone in our struggles somethimes, I think. But if people are sharing their struggles, suddenly we are not so alone and I think that's very important and powerful.

I am not good enough, I feel.
I have "recently" (5 years ago) gotten out of a very abusive relationship. I have scrapped a few pages for therapy, but not shared them. I'm just getting the feel for myself and who I am again, and scrapping and writing (journaling) is very therapeuthic for me, so I will try to do more in the future. I just need to take thins slow.
 
I scrap hard times and it has been cathartic. I have found that I may not always have the words to completely verbalize what I felt during those times but try my best to convey them. A person who views my page might not ever know the depth of feelings that I dealt with while going through that situation but I know. The process of creating the layout helps to ease the pain as well as document what the trial or journey was. Praying for you as you go through hard times. ((((HUGS)))
 
Cheryl Ashcraft said:
I scrap a lot about me. I'm not sure when it started exactly, but it was quite a few years ago. I realized no one was going to tell my story if I didn't. I have to admit that sometimes I feel embarrassed (not really, I don't know the word right now) to share so much about myself online. I usually always have at least one person tell me they are going through the same thing.

I believe the more we share the truth of our lives, the better it is for all us, especially with so much social media only showing the perfect or pretty sides of life.

I have a pretty good mix of good and bad, and looking through my gallery, even when I am working through something bad, I'm forever turning things into positive thinking.
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I have always admired your true life layouts. You're right about social media. We all try to look our best and "real" has been lost.
I admire your ability to put such hard things into words and create such gorgeous layouts around your feelings!
 
Valleygirl said:
Thanks for sharing Sheryl! I agree with you. Sharing is important. We all feel alone in our struggles somethimes, I think. But if people are sharing their struggles, suddenly we are not so alone and I think that's very important and powerful.

I am not good enough, I feel.
I have "recently" (5 years ago) gotten out of a very abusive relationship. I have scrapped a few pages for therapy, but not shared them. I'm just getting the feel for myself and who I am again, and scrapping and writing (journaling) is very therapeuthic for me, so I will try to do more in the future. I just need to take thins slow.
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I am so very sorry that you feel you are not good enough. That's a hard feeling to sit with and untangle.
I hope that scrapping your journey will help in your healing process and bring you to realize how special you are. {{big hugs!}}
 
EvelynD2 said:
I scrap hard times and it has been cathartic. I have found that I may not always have the words to completely verbalize what I felt during those times but try my best to convey them. A person who views my page might not ever know the depth of feelings that I dealt with while going through that situation but I know. The process of creating the layout helps to ease the pain as well as document what the trial or journey was. Praying for you as you go through hard times. ((((HUGS)))
Click to expand...

That's one of my biggest struggles - finding the right words. Well, that and overthinking those words. lol
I think that the most important thing is that you know the depth and meaning and that the process helps you.
Thank you so much! :wub:
 
So sorry to hear you have such a hard time. Scrapping has worked (and still does) as therapy for me for sure.
The year 2024 has been really hard for me and my family. And I've been scrapping about most of the things. Sometimes just in black & white, sometimes with a lot of journaling or only a few words (but with a lot of elements that express my feelings).
I know it can be hard to put everything to words, sometimes you need more than one layout or project to get it all to paper. I have made pages about all the things that happened last year, but also layouts about just one event.
There have been layouts that I had to stop because I was overwhelmed with emotions before I could finish it, but also layouts that made me feel lighter after I had put my thoughts onto paper.
I hope you can find a way to put your thoughts, feelings, emotions to paper. You can always keep these layouts for yourself, in a separte folder on your computer. After a while you prbably feel lighter. And if needed you can scrap the same story a 100 times, every time it will turn out differently. A next year or in 10 years, you will see the healing process you went through.
Anyway, I have scrapped the hard times as well, but since i hardly print anything, they are just for me. So for me it's more about the process and getting my mind straight. I've noticed that a lot of these layouts are more art journaling style and as soon as I seem to be healed they turn into more paper scrapping style (if this makes sense).
Anyway, just get started and I hope you will feel lighter after a while as well. And maybe you can't put everything into words right now, you can use elements to express your feelings as well. I really hope it will help you as it has helped me.
If you want some examples, just take a look in my gallery (most from september last year).
 
I absolutely do scrap EVERYTHING -- it is how I process the big, sad, traumatic things. Some of my family think it is odd, but I feel scrapbooks should be authentic and I think we have enough "social media" perfect out there
 
Romajo said:
So sorry to hear you have such a hard time. Scrapping has worked (and still does) as therapy for me for sure.
The year 2024 has been really hard for me and my family. And I've been scrapping about most of the things. Sometimes just in black & white, sometimes with a lot of journaling or only a few words (but with a lot of elements that express my feelings).
I know it can be hard to put everything to words, sometimes you need more than one layout or project to get it all to paper. I have made pages about all the things that happened last year, but also layouts about just one event.
There have been layouts that I had to stop because I was overwhelmed with emotions before I could finish it, but also layouts that made me feel lighter after I had put my thoughts onto paper.
I hope you can find a way to put your thoughts, feelings, emotions to paper. You can always keep these layouts for yourself, in a separte folder on your computer. After a while you prbably feel lighter. And if needed you can scrap the same story a 100 times, every time it will turn out differently. A next year or in 10 years, you will see the healing process you went through.
Anyway, I have scrapped the hard times as well, but since i hardly print anything, they are just for me. So for me it's more about the process and getting my mind straight. I've noticed that a lot of these layouts are more art journaling style and as soon as I seem to be healed they turn into more paper scrapping style (if this makes sense).
Anyway, just get started and I hope you will feel lighter after a while as well. And maybe you can't put everything into words right now, you can use elements to express your feelings as well. I really hope it will help you as it has helped me.
If you want some examples, just take a look in my gallery (most from september last year).
Click to expand...

Thank you so much, Romajo :wub:
I'm sorry that last year was so hard for you and your family. I really hope things are smoothing out now.
I love your point that we have the freedom to scrap the same story 100 times! Sometimes everyday seems like a different twist on the same story. Thank you for that.
I will definitely look through your gallery!
 
Elsieanne said:
I absolutely do scrap EVERYTHING -- it is how I process the big, sad, traumatic things. Some of my family think it is odd, but I feel scrapbooks should be authentic and I think we have enough "social media" perfect out there
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I'm very glad that you have this perspective and don't let your family's opinion change what you feel is right for you!
And I totally agree with you - we don't need to perpetuate the "perfect" lie. We want our true and real stories told.
 
I do, Tammy.
The one project that I am currently doing is scrapping all those photos I did not get to scrap during Covid, while my kids and I were stuck at my home country far away from Lan. I am scrapping monthly pages for the kids, so that, one day, they can look back and say 'hey, we were there, we went through hell, but we survived.'

I find that scrapping those stuffs is my therapy. I need it to stay sane and to not keep things bottled up. I do post most of pages in the gallery and rarely keep them hidden, because all those emotions are what make us humans. Life is not always rainbow and sunshine, so I am okay with sharing about the low time I go through. :)
 
nietis said:
I do, Tammy.
The one project that I am currently doing is scrapping all those photos I did not get to scrap during Covid, while my kids and I were stuck at my home country far away from Lan. I am scrapping monthly pages for the kids, so that, one day, they can look back and say 'hey, we were there, we went through hell, but we survived.'

I find that scrapping those stuffs is my therapy. I need it to stay sane and to not keep things bottled up. I do post most of pages in the gallery and rarely keep them hidden, because all those emotions are what make us humans. Life is not always rainbow and sunshine, so I am okay with sharing about the low time I go through. :)
Click to expand...

Sherly, I love this: 'hey, we were there, we went through hell, but we survived.' That is SO true and so real. I think it's a reminder to your kids (and yourself) that you can do hard things!
 
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