Retail therapy is shopping with the primary purpose of improving the buyer's mood or disposition. Often seen in people during periods of depression or stress, it is normally a short-lived habit. Items purchased during periods of retail therapy are sometimes referred to as "comfort buys". -WikipediaIf you practice "retail therapy," you probably buy shoes or clothes or a pedicure for therapeutic benefits. (Or maybe ice cream?) What are you accustomed to doing or buying to improve your mood?
Let's blow your mind.
I haven't experienced the heartbreak of losing a child, but I know people who have, and I know how a storybook has helped to keep those precious little ones close. I know it can be meaningful for both parents and siblings to have a keepsake of the sweet angel relationship, no matter how brief.
Our own memories or expressions of love for others through storybooks are excellent retail therapy.
There are so many possibilities!
Think about it this way:
pedicure: $30
two tickets to a chick flick + popcorn and drinks: $40
new shoes: $50
scented candle: $20
a handful of trips to Starbucks: $30
a storybook full of your own photos and memories (or a special keepsake or gift): priceless
Get started {right here}. It really is the best kind of retail therapy!
I have a friend who is a therapist who uses memory-keeping in her practice. She has her patients gather photos and write about their thoughts and experiences. Guess WHY she does it. Simple. It's therapeutic.
It's true! Did you know that memory-keeping is therapeutic?
It's true! Did you know that memory-keeping is therapeutic?
Now I'm not just talking about "scrapbooking" in the way we tend to think of it. I'm talking about the act of looking at photos and combining them with their stories (our memories)--it actually has a healing effect!
Memory-keeping is so much more than "doing something" with your photos, doing something "cute," or wanting to pass something on to the next generation and the next. Memory-keeping is actually GOOD FOR YOU. It's therapeutic.
What about just taking time to reflect on a special vacation, a family reunion, or a milestone? How often do you sit down to just enjoy and appreciate? I would guess that none of us do it as often as we might, and that actually doing it would have a lot of therapeutic results.
If you spend $50 on a pair of shoes that will just go out of style, why not spend $50 (or less) on something that will quite literally increase in value over time?!
That's what makes memory-keeping retail therapy the very best kind! (But definitely keep your standards high--only accept heirloom-quality books and pages with a photo privacy guarantee. See my memory-keeping recommendations here.)
Who do you know who would love something like this? You're probably thinking of someone right now.
{This photo therapist}--yes, that's a thing--explains it well! You can find many more sources and many more examples at the {"benefits of memory-keeping" tab} above, too, if you're still feeling a little skeptical.
Reflecting on your own life is cathartic and can bring many great memories to the forefront. That's one benefit I always find in memory-keeping--we tend to just take pictures of the good stuff, so that's what we tend to remember. It helps us focus on the positive and reflect on happy times.
Reflecting on your own life is cathartic and can bring many great memories to the forefront. That's one benefit I always find in memory-keeping--we tend to just take pictures of the good stuff, so that's what we tend to remember. It helps us focus on the positive and reflect on happy times.
What about just taking time to reflect on a special vacation, a family reunion, or a milestone? How often do you sit down to just enjoy and appreciate? I would guess that none of us do it as often as we might, and that actually doing it would have a lot of therapeutic results.
If you spend $50 on a pair of shoes that will just go out of style, why not spend $50 (or less) on something that will quite literally increase in value over time?!
That's what makes memory-keeping retail therapy the very best kind! (But definitely keep your standards high--only accept heirloom-quality books and pages with a photo privacy guarantee. See my memory-keeping recommendations here.)
Who do you know who would love something like this? You're probably thinking of someone right now.
"Never suppress a generous thought." - Camilla E. Kimball
Equally cathartic and therapeutic is honoring those who have passed on. One shared experience all of us have as human beings is loss. We have all lost someone dear (or will). Preserving that life story is priceless. It can help connect generations, but it can also be a healing experience as you put the tribute book together. ({Here's my personal experience.})
I haven't experienced the heartbreak of losing a child, but I know people who have, and I know how a storybook has helped to keep those precious little ones close. I know it can be meaningful for both parents and siblings to have a keepsake of the sweet angel relationship, no matter how brief.
So give memory-keeping as therapy a try! It truly is therapeutic, whether you create something for yourself or for someone else.
There are so many possibilities!
Think about it this way:
pedicure: $30
two tickets to a chick flick + popcorn and drinks: $40
new shoes: $50
scented candle: $20
a handful of trips to Starbucks: $30
a storybook full of your own photos and memories (or a special keepsake or gift): priceless
Get started {right here}. It really is the best kind of retail therapy!
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I am finding that it takes a good time management schedule to do all the things we'd like to do each day. I really enjoy looking through my albums of the places we've been and the celebrations we shared over the years.
ReplyDeleteSo true! There's so much good available, but we have to carefully schedule and choose. Yes, photos really bring back wonderful feelings. They are truly good for the heart and soul. Thanks so much for reading and commenting. :)
ReplyDeleteI value my memory books over a pair of shoes any day - and shoes are pretty important! :) We spend our time doing the things we deem most important - so many good points!
ReplyDeleteAmen! :) Yes, we really do spend our time on what we value, whether we realize it or not. Thanks for reading and for the nice comment. :)
ReplyDeleteYoung people today know nothing about photo albums with all their pics on their phones. It's been years since I've had pics printed. As with my kids and grandbabies, all are stored on my phone. Thanks so much for linking up at the Unlimited Link Party 83. Shared.
ReplyDeleteI've been really pleased to see that my daughter (who is 22 now) prints pictures to put on her walls in her college apartment. Yes, the phone is a common way to store photos, but phones are so easily lost and/or damaged that I always suggest that people make a backup of some kind, including print, books, digital storage, etc. Putting the memories and photos together in one place is ideal for the "therapy" I mentioned here. :) Thanks for reading and sharing, too, Dee!
DeleteMy daughter prints special pics for framing and some for the fridge door, grandbabies have never printed any. I just got out of the habit of printing them, now there's so many that need to be printed.
DeleteYes, it can be so easy to fall out of the habit! I've got a lot of framed prints in my house as well.
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