Writing a Letter to Your Future Self

When was the last time you wrote a letter? In fact, have you ever written one? It would seem that the art of handwriting letters has long become a thing of the past. Well, why would you write a letter when you can spend half the time producing a more professional looking one on a computer? Whilst this option is definitely more convenient, there does still exist a fondness for more old-school methods of communication.

Why?

Handwriting a letter is a very personal and heartfelt way of sharing your thoughts. For a start, your handwriting is completely unique to you, making anything you write on one of a kind! Secondly, taking the time to physically write and/or post a letter, is an extremely thoughtful gesture in a world where digital communication is not only quicker, but also expected.

Letters are also physical things. The digital world sometimes lacks tangibility and authenticity. What this means is, you can't hold a text or an email in your hands. It also means that by texting and emailing, we're not leaving a physical legacy of ourselves in the world. The proof that we were here beyond our social media profiles, snapchats and instagram posts - will be in our diaries, and the letters, scribbles and notes that we wrote and gave to other people.

With this in mind, why not handwrite a letter to your future self!? 

via GIPHY

Writing a letter to your future self can be a really insightful way of helping you to figure out who you really are. Pretend you are writing to yourself a year in the future... What would you say? What kind of person would you want to be? What goals will you want to have achieved by then? 

When you open your letter in a years time, you'll get to find out if you met your own expectations, and if not, reflect on why that’s the case. Our goals are often subject to changing circumstances and priorities - so don't be too hard on yourself if you haven't achieved what you expected.

Reading your letter also lets you see how your direction in life may have changed - allowing you to stop and think about how happy you really are about where you're at with your life. Because your letter was written by you, it's almost like being contacted by the old you, giving you a different, but familiar, friendly and authentic perspective.

So, what are you waiting for!? Grab a pen and some paper and get writing! Just incase you're not sure where to start though, check out the link below to Sophie's blog for ideas and tips where she wrote a letter to her past self instead.

ALUMINA

Alumina is a free, online 7 week course for young people struggling with self-harm. Each course has up to 8 young people, all accessing the sessions from their own phones, tablets or laptops across the UK. The courses take place on different evenings of the week and are run by friendly, trained counsellors and volunteer youth workers. You don’t need an adult to refer you or sign you up, and no-one will see or hear you during the sessions – you’ll just join in via the chatbox. We want to help you to find your next steps towards recovery, wherever you are on your journey.

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