How Personalized DIY Books are Self-Care
The old adage says you can’t pour from an empty bucket. What that means to you and me is that if we aren’t full, whole, or complete, we have nothing to give. This is surely not the only place you’ve come across this idea, but it bears repeating: Taking care of ourselves is so important!
I think self-care is talked about a lot these days for three reasons. First, we live in a world (or a culture, anyway) so focused on productivity. Second, we are quick to believe we “don’t have time” for a lot of things, including stopping to smell the roses. And, third, there’s an underlying belief out there that self-care is selfish.
But What if We Thought About Productivity, Busy-ness, and Self-Care This Way?
Self-care is actually both empowering and enabling. When I have a “full bucket,” so to speak, I’m capable. I have the strength and energy to do the things I want to do. (Doing everything everyone wishes I would do is another thing entirely. All three of my part-time jobs are in high demand. There’s a shortage of both ASL instructors and ASL interpreters. My work as a photo solutions guide is equally needed but is currently the only one I still want to actively grow–the one I’m not turning down additional opportunities for like the others–because it works so differently and isn’t such a demand on my time.)
I’m sure you’re like me in that you’ve had times when so much was going on that you couldn’t really think straight. And that’s really the point of self-care. You’re better off–and so is everyone around you–when you can think straight. 🙂 In “You Can’t Pour from an Empty Cup: Self-Care Isn’t Selfish,” author Lauren Carter explains:
As I have guided people through saving, organizing, and sharing their photos, videos, and family memories, I have seen that a common roadblock is time. Because of that, I am drawn to articles and strategies to help people find time. In doing so, I have learned that we don’t find time for anything. We make it.
I read a wonderful, inspiring blog post by Lisa at Lisa Notes entitled “Can You Do it Slower?” In it, she tried listening to a podcast about time, productivity, and purpose while she finished up her day. She set the speed to 2x and hurried about so she could accomplish everything she set out to do and still have time for some additional things she wanted to do. If you need to slow down, I highly recommend the read so you can learn what Lisa learned, like I did. Sometimes doing things slower can have the greatest impact.
And I’ve learned that that’s the secret. We have to make time for whatever matters to us. And I’ve learned that this changes over time, too. Maybe you’re caring for a baby or an elderly parent. Maybe you work two full-time jobs. Some things take a lot of time. But we don’t really “find” time. We have to set it aside and reserve it.
And then there’s productivity. We think of it as accomplishing things and checking things off our to-do lists.
But what if it’s not?
And This is How Personalized DIY Books are Productive *and* Self-Care
So, if productivity actually means intentional choices toward a goal, what does that look like?
If I can pause, replenish, and rest, how is that being productive?
Let me give you the perfect example!
Multiple studies have been done on the effects our photos have on us. Among others, Gretchen Rubin and Dr. Peter Naish each discovered that interacting with our photos increases both happiness and relaxation. In fact, Dr. Naish’s study compared photos to other common go-tos that we like to do when we want to feel happier such as watching TV or eating chocolate. He found that eating, drinking, watching TV, and listening to music only boosted mood by 1%. Photos, on the other hand, boosted mood by 11%, providing me with my new favorite statistic:
And photos increase relaxation by a whopping 22%!
When you combine photos with the well-known practice of journaling for therapeutic benefits (many of them listed there), you get the whole package! And you can get something like this:
What all this means is that setting aside some time to spend with your photos–a proven self-care activity that will make you happier and more relaxed–is actually productive self-care.
Who knew there was such a thing?! Isn’t that marvelous?! Let that sink in:
Spending time with your photos and memories is productive because you’re pausing, and resting, and replenishing. It can actually fill your bucket!
How to Start
To spend time with your photos and memories for self-care that you’ll love, I suggest starting small with something you’ll enjoy doing.
Maybe you want to make a yearbook showcasing photos and memories from the past year. (I’ve got some awesome, free templates for you at that link.)
Maybe it’s just organizing your photos. (I know organizing might not sound like fun at first, but trust me. Spending that time feels so good. I decided to take my own advice to try out my Ten Minutes Daily Plan and I scanned in my youngest child’s baby book pages. It was wonderful!)
Another great photo activity that’s productive (see our new definition of productive above) is to digitally tag and add descriptions to your digital photos. (I personally recommend doing this with photos saved in Forever Storage because the metadata there stays with the photo. Platforms like Apple and Google only allow you to access the metadata–which is like “writing on the back of” a digital photo–while the photos are in the platform. Not only that, Forever has a 100-year guarantee.) Spending a little time, even 10 minutes, recalling good times and seeing old faces is mood-boosting, cup-filling self-care.
Whatever you choose to do with your photos, it’s probably an item on your to-do list anyway. But I recommend taking “do something with my photos” off your to-do list and instead using it as important self-care. Think about it differently. Yes, it’s something “productive” in the get-it-done sense of the word, but productivity is an intentional choice towards a goal. Productivity can be replenishment. Productivity can mean to pause and rest.
And your photos are an amazing source for all those things.
Who knew that one of the best self-care methods was right in your pocket?!
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