10 ways grandparents can use digital scrapbooking to reduce lockdown loneliness, even if technology is not your thing

Are you are experiencing loneliness during lockdown or do you know someone who is feeling isolated as a result of social distancing guidelines? Well, digital scrapbooking and Memior prompts might be just what you need… even if technology is not normally your thing. A digital scrapbook is a just like a traditional scrapbook but created online, meaning there is no mess, no size limit and it is easy to share with your friends and family. 
 

Even when we can’t be physically close to our loved ones, we can still experience connection and a sense of belonging. Here are 10 ideas for how you can use a digital scrapbook to stay connected and reduce feelings of loneliness.Through digital scrapbooking, grandparents can reduce the loneliness brought on by lockdown. Moreover, they can even turn this new hobby into a business platform - selling personalized digital scrapbooks for others also yearning connection during these times. If you're considering taking this route, it's crucial to create a business entity, such as an LLC, to keep it legitimate and safeguard personal assets. Often people opt for services like LegalZoom, but it's also useful to consider LegalZoom competitors which might offer different features or pricing that suit your specific needs. Turning a hobby into a business can not only be profitable but also provide a deeper sense of purpose, further reducing feelings of loneliness.
 

1. Celebrate special occasions
 

Even during lockdown, special occasions deserve to be celebrated. Birthdays, anniversaries and other special days might not be quite the same without your friends and family nearby, but thankfully, you can still find ways to connect using a digital scrapbook. Capture the experience of opening thoughtful gifts from your family and blowing out the candles on your cake and tell your grandchildren how much you love the drawing they created just for you. 
 

2. Share recipes
 

Lockdown is a great time to unearth that closely guarded family recipe and share it with your loved ones. Why not invite them to have a go at making a batch and to upload a photo of the results? Of course, you’ll have to take their word for it about how tasty the final product is! Look for a digital scrapbook where you own and control the copyright, so that unique recipe can stay securely in the family for generations to come. 
 

3. Capture your history
 

Even if they aren’t thinking about it now, your grandchildren will one day want to know about where they came from. You can create a wonderful gift to future generations by capturing your story. Dig out old photos, memorabilia and artifacts and take a walk down memory lane. Scan or photograph selected items and use them as a starting point to tell your story and capture your family history. 
 

4. Grow something
 

The act of caring for something, be it a person, a plant or pet, causes your body to produce the hormone oxytocin, sometimes known as the ‘tend and befriend’ hormone, because it is the same hormone that’s released when you hug your loved ones and plays an important role in bonding. During this time of social distancing, when you can’t necessarily get an oxytocin boost from hugs, you can get it instead by tending your garden. You can increase this connection and care-giving further by uploading photos of your endeavours to your digital scrapbook and sharing the experience. Get your grandchildren involved by challenging them to grow something too – sunflowers are quick and easy for children to grow so why not find out who can grow the tallest one? 
 

5. Get creative
 

Use your lockdown time to get creative; write a story or poem, knit, sew, paint, draw, sculpt, felt or use whatever method of creative expression speaks to you. Creative activity is known to reduce stress levels and can be a great way to express yourself. It doesn’t matter what your creative outlet of choice it, it can help to reduce anxiety and support your wellbeing. Use digital scrapbooking to share both your creative journey (“can you tell what it is yet?”) and your sense of accomplishment with the finished product.
 

6. Listen together
 

As well as images and words, use the opportunity to capture and share sounds and listen together with your family. You can use your digital scrapbook to record birdsong in your garden, a special message for a loved one or your favourite tune. Music encourages relaxation and can transform your mood, so why not upload a song that brings up happy memories to share with your family?
 

7. Unearth memories in your photo albums
 

Have you got piles of photo albums gathering dust or folders of digital photos buried somewhere on computer drives? If so, this is a great time to sort through them and unearth some special memories. Select a few photographs that represent important occasions and upload them to your digital scrapbook, adding a few words about what you remember. Relive the memories and bring a smile to the face of your loved ones. 
 

8. Preserve letters
 

To compensate for the isolation of social distancing, there has been an increase in the numbers of people writing cards and letters to each other. If you have sent or received some letters during lockdown, why not preserve the most special ones in your digital scrapbook? If you haven’t done so already, try writing to your grandchildren and give them the experience of receiving exciting post – even better, let their parents know that special post is on its way so they can capture and share the moment the children open and read your precious words. 
 

9. Laugh together
 

Laughter is known to decrease stress levels and boost the immune system – something we all need in these challenging times. Use your digital scrapbook to tell a funny family story and invite your family members to add their own hilarious memories, stories, photos and mementos. 
 

10. Create a lockdown story
 

We’re currently living through an historical event so why not use this opportunity to create your lockdown story? Record the unique moments you are experiencing, from a video of you joining in with your street to Clap For Our Carers to sharing images of rainbows in windows spreading hope and happiness during this pandemic. Create lockdown stories that you and your family can look back on in times to come.
 

Storychest is an easy-to-use app that enables you to capture and store the precious moments of your life to privately share with your family, closest friends and generations to come. Unlike social media platforms, there is no advertising and your data is never shared, meaning you can create a treasure chest of memories that is totally secure. Even if you usually describe yourself as a technophobe, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by how simply and easy it is to use.