Keeping photos after NC, yes or no?

[mary_poppins]

What did you guys do with the pictures of your family after no contact? Did you keep them as a reminder of where you came from or burned them/threw them away? I feel nauseous when I look at a family photo, also disgusted. It's so awkward how we all sit around a table without smiling or even pretending to be happy. I know I can't get rid of those memories but the pics can go. Then I think about the people I'll befriend or work colleagues I'll have or a husband and them wanting to see family pics. To which I'll have to reply 'I burned them all'. Lol.

[Rebel13]

I don't think I've bothered to go through them yet. I do know of one photo that depicts the family dynamic incredibly, creepily well, and I'm definitely keeping that one just for that reason.

You don't have to tell people you burned them, unless you want to! You could say vaguely, oh, they're around here somewhere. That's true for SO MANY things in my world.

[sunshine702]

I sort of hedged my bets and bought a $10 tote from Costco and put all memory things in it - pictures and some physical items. Snap it shut and put it in the storage area.  I am not ready to throw it out yet but also should not be tearing the scab off and looking at it

[mary_poppins]

I forgot to answer this topic. Idk why the topic of family pics bothers me so much. I'll probably stuff them somewhere, too and tell people they're around somewhere. There's no rule that says to keep or discard pics with abusive family members, right?

[SaltwareS]

I regret it but I destroyed a few photos in the worst of my trauma. Yes it was a phony "everything is fine" photo that bothered me at the time, but still it was a picture of some family members when they were quite young.

I recommend putting the photos way way way out of view and deciding later on what to do with them.