#worry dolls

[makeshiftstory]

The mini project is all done now! If you guessed 'Worry Dolls', then you'd be correct! I wanted something to keep my nerves under control when the vacation comes up, especially when I'm far away from the boxer overlords. I've always worried about the dogs when vacations comes up. These guys are also intermittently stuffed with either lavender or pumpkin spice :") (I will be posting the step by step process of how these were made this weekend, I got a lot of pics of that process with the Foxlings posing with the finished product.)

[customcreatures]

pendant dolls or talisman dolls, made mostly with leftover materials from other projects because I hate throwing things out. These are much simpler than my usual dolls. I wanted something that I could give to friends and family members when they were going on trips because I'm someone who tends to get anxious when loved ones are traveling, so I came up with this worry-doll inspired idea. They're easy to make, and I've started some of my students making their own this past week.

[marigoldwitch]

Did anyone else’s grandma give them Worry Dolls when they were little?

I remember when I was like 7 my extremely religious Christian “aunt” (she was my cousin’s adoptive mom) took mine when she found them, one night while I was sleeping over, and flushed them down the toilet. I cried for like 2 weeks and my grandma gave me a few more and told me “don’t let anyone else find these next time.” I wish I still had them. I don’t remember what happened to my second set.

[thanatophobia-thoughts]

Are you all familiar with worry dolls?

If not, they’re small, hand-made dolls often made of wire, wool, or various textile leftovers. Often, they come in groups, and with a basket to put them in. They come from indigenous Guatemala traditions, though the dolls can often be found in the States. They may be a part of other indigenous traditions, I’m unfortunately not well-versed, from the Americas.

Of course, I encourage you to buy from someone who is a part of this culture, wherever possible, rather than give funds over to someone who is not.

Why am I bringing up worry dolls?

Well, I think they can help.

I was introduced to them when I was much younger by my mother, naturally, who wanted to help with my sleep troubles and so found me a set of them. The idea is that you tell a doll your concerns, and the doll takes them. The worries and sorrows are then gone on the morrow.

It comes from the story of Ixmucane, who received a gift from the sun god, to be able to solve anything that would worry a person. Pretty great gift, honestly.

I can’t say the dolls ever actually worked, but they were a nice placebo that allowed me to get to sleep some nights. I’ve currently replaced them with a small, wooden llama I keep in a bag of lavender in my pillowcase.

I don’t actually talk to the llama.

Most nights, I forget the llama is even there.

But when I do remember, I think of the llamas from Llamas in Hats, and I figure the protection of Carl is pretty significant, so it’s worth a laugh, and some relaxation. It’s a good memory to dwell in, since my mom became a fan of Llamas in Hats, and was in on the joke when she got me that llama, instead of a new set of worry dolls.

So, if you’re having trouble sleeping, and can’t tame your restless thoughts, try venting to a worry doll. Or to a stuffed animal. Or to a stone animal. Or to a wooden llama. Try and see if it will help you to air your anxieties to something inanimate, and then rest. Maybe you’ll feel lighter when you wake up, maybe not. Maybe it’ll be just enough to hear it said, and then get to sleep.

If you’ve tried everything else, why not try this?

[fairtraderuk]

These cute & colourful Mayan worry doll earrings have been crafted in Guatemala.

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Happy #FolkMagicFriday all!

As I was going through some closets of mine earlier this week, I found something I thought was super interesting that I had completely forgotten about. I found my collection of Worry Dolls.

Also known as Trouble Dolls (or in Spanish, Muñeca Quitapena) these are part of my very unique collection of over a hundred that I had utilized since I had acquired them around the age of 8. My collection began after learning about them at The Museum of Science after going through an exhibit about the indigenous highlands of Guatemala and I thought these were THE coolest things on the planet. I became obsessed with these little miracles - the ones I had purchased were supposedly authentic and made in Guatemala, and came at a hefty price tag through the museum. If anyone is interested, I also came home with a geode, a map of the milky way and a venus fly trap - all things that have shaped me into the human I am today.

Anyway, I truly believed in the magic of these dolls, and I had begun to collect them through Guatemalan natives I had met over the years, and later in life through small shops. What started out as five purchased after a life changing visit to a museum, had spiraled into a prized collection that I thought was more common than it actually was. I had gifted these dolls to people who I thought could use them and even made my own as a tween.

What's so special about them? These dolls originally in Guatemalan tradition, refer to a Mayan princess Ixmucane, who was given the gift from the sun god to solve any problem a human could worry about. These dolls represent and honor the princess and her intentions. These dolls were given to sorrowful children who may have had anxiety or bad dreams or even existential dread. It was said that these dolls kept secrets but were great listeners, and if children talked to thier doll about what worried them before sleeping, then placed it under their pillow, all their sorrows and worries would be gone in the morning.

I told my dolls everything.

They might not look like much, but they were traditionally made from textile scraps and sticks and meant to be dressed as Mayans would. As a child I felt like these dolls helped me as I worried about things that I shouldn't have been aware of, such as emotional abuse and poverty. They didn't solve my problems overnight per say, but I had felt comfort in them. Why?

Well, these dolls are still used today in child psychology. When we voice our feelings, we use the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain is split up into two sides: left and right. The Broca’s area is what we call the left side. The right side actually doesn't have a name, but that doesn't mean it is not important. This part of our brain is what controls our emotional regulation. When we voice our innermost feelings, this area of our brains go crazy. Studies have shown when this area of our brain goes bananas, the part of our brain that causes anxiety, which is refered to as our "fear system" seems to calm. The fear center of our brain holds in traumatic events, but also long lost memories. If we can wade through our sorrows by speaking up, even to our worry dolls, we can access these crucial, beautiful memories, and feel them more intensely than before.

To me, these dolls symbolize the importance of shadow work. When we bottle away emotions that we feel uncomfortable with, we become numb. These emotions can be pain, sorrow, anxiety, or even love if we have been wronged in the past. For me, these represent voicing my thoughts and feelings, as painful as they can be, to experience the greater good that awaits me in my life. Unknowingly, these dolls helped me at a young age get in touch with my shadow self, and finding these this weekend brought an avalanche of feelings, difficult and beautiful. I looked at some, and remembered the worry I shared, and reflected on the growth I have made. I looked at others and remembered the late night secrets I shared. And I looked at the rest I had never shared with, and remembered that shadow work is never finished.

Melissa

[datleggy]

Worry dolls

[concidineart]

Huey making the worry dolls in episode 19 of No Evil. He’s such a good pup and Amaroq better apologize to him at some point i SWEAR.