Memory Keeping for Mental Wellness: How Photo Books Can Nurture the Mind and Heart

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This is a time to acknowledge the challenges of those living with mental health conditions and to mindfully check in on your own mental wellness. Take a moment this month to ask yourself how you’re really doing. If you’re handling your own mental load in ways that feel right. And if there are any steps you could take to feel stronger and more grounded in your day-to-day life.

While this can be challenging, especially for parents, caregivers, and busy adults, embrace it as an empowering inquiry. Take the chance to consider the small, meaningful things that could improve your mental wellness. It could be dedicating a little more time to personal projects, finding enjoyable ways to be creative, and reflecting on all the experiences, including difficult ones, that have shaped you into who you are today.

The Connection Between Memories & Mental Health

Memories and mental health go hand in hand. Experts describe a close correspondence between happy childhood memories and good health in adulthood, as well as the potential mood-boosting effects of nostalgia. In simple terms, revisiting positive memories can make you feel happier in the present.

One of the easiest and most common ways to evoke mood-boosting feelings of joy, love, growth, and connection, is to look at photos that capture those positive emotions. Seeing a picture of yourself as a beaming kid at play, a silly selfie with your best friend, or your beloved grandparents in their prime, is almost certain to make you smile right now. You might browse graduation photos and once again feel proud of your past academic achievements, or pregnancy portraits that bring back vivid memories of longing to meet your baby.

For Mental Health Awareness Month, carve out a little time for browsing your photo collection. Even the mundane moments captured on camera have the power to change your perspective.

Memory Keeping as a Form of Self-Care

We might think of memory keeping as something passive—either you remember a moment from the past or you don’t—but there are some very rewarding ways to be deliberate in keeping positive memories alive. Scrolling, or flipping, through old photographs is perhaps the easiest way to do so. Even better is to turn those photos into something tangible—a custom photo book that you can hold in your hands.

You don’t need to wait for your printed photo book to arrive in the mail to start feeling positive effects on your mental wellness. Working through this creative project will give you an instant boost, too. Browsing and choosing photos, picking the perfect theme and layouts, and personalizing your book with text, backgrounds, and stickers, can all be done with a sense of mindfulness and reflection.

Take your time, put on some music, enjoy your favorite drink, and try to notice the little things in your photos. Laugh at the ugly sofa from the ‘80s, or cry because you loved the long-departed family dog so very much. Feel a twinge of regret about picking on your little brother during that camping trip, and then give him a call to say “hi.” Can’t you just smell the cigarette smoke at Great Aunt Mel’s house (and feel glad your own kids aren’t exposed to it)?

By the time your photo book is finished and ready to print, you might have relived the highlights of your entire lifetime. Be glad for them all (even if it’s being glad they’re in the past), and most of all appreciate the awesome person those moments made you into.

Real People, Real Stories

Real Mixbookers who have shared their customer stories show us the profound value of creative memory keeping.

Shani H. shared the story of a Mixbook she made to document the at-home birth of her second child. It was important to her to capture the memories of such an intense and intimate experience. The photo book format means she can keep her photos as a personal keepsake, but also share the magical birth story with her daughters. Shani said “It’s now my favorite way of showcasing such an important event. It has become one of our absolute favorite picture books.”

The Vance family have made several Mixbooks to document their most important and inspiring collections of memories. Top among them are their adoption story books, which document the journeys that brought their children home. The Vances get to share all those moments as a family, and will never forget the precious memories evoked by their photos.

Mother’s Day photo books are a popular gift idea, and we love that Rosie D. made one as a Mother’s Day gift to herself. This is such an inspiring example of self-care through memory keeping! She calls her Mixbook “A physical reminder of the beauty we’ve lived, right here in our cozy home.”

Ideas to Create a Photo Book That Supports Your Mental Wellness

This month, consider creating a photo book that intentionally boosts your mental health—one that evokes positive emotions every time you pick it up. Fill a book with only the most meaningful photos, and order a copy as a gift to yourself. Here are some suggestions:

• A Joy Journal: A photo book featuring small everyday moments that bring you joy. It could be photos of your sleeping kitten, cuddles with your kids, or serene moments in nature.
• A Growth Timeline: Document a journey through personal challenges you’ve overcome, whether it’s a career or educational journey, a move to a new home, or a journey to grow your family. Looking through this book will remind you of all you’ve achieved and generate powerful feelings of pride.
• Gratitude Book: Feeling gratitude is known to improve your sense of wellbeing. Create a book around all the big and small things you’re grateful for, such as people, places, and experiences that bring you a sense of peace.
• Letter to Myself: Create a photo book that combines a written letter to yourself with fitting photos that match its empowering sentiments. You might include affirmations, notes to your future self, and inspiring quotes.

Tip: The Gratitude Year in Review photo book theme makes it easy to create a collection of all the things you’re thankful for.

Your Story Deserves to Be Seen

Mixbookers are often the memory keepers for their whole families, sometimes prioritizing support for the wellbeing of others while forgetting their own. This month—and always—make time and space to embrace your own story, just for yourself.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, head to Mixbook Studio™ and give yourself the gift of a beautiful book of memories.