A Letter to Your Younger Self: Life Lessons To Carry On

Hindsight is 20:20 as the saying goes and looking back, it’s easy to see the twists and turns of life. This is why creating a letter to your younger self can be a poignant and reflective experience. It gives you a chance to look back at your previous struggles while still looking back at the triumphs and how far you have come today. Not only can it give you some closure, it can also help guide you moving forward. Writing a letter to your younger self can be an eye-opening exercise in reflection and self-compassion.

1, Start with a Warm Greeting

When you open your letter, be sure to greet your past self like an old friend. The most important thing is to not be too hard on yourself. Don’t focus on the negatives but just talk to them and let your feelings be heard. This can be a huge weight off your shoulders as you get your feelings out. More importantly, it sets a compassionate tone for the entire letter and makes things easier going forward.

2, Acknowledge Their Struggles and Offer Encouragement

In the spirit of not being too hard on yourself, empathy is key in your letter to your younger self. You of all people know what they are going to and rather than be harsh, maybe it’s better to be empathetic. Tell them that things turned out alright and that you’ve managed to work through it. That is the key sign that shows you’ve managed to come farther than where you were. To help with that point, some encouragement is always welcome. Compliment them and let them know they did everything they could.

3, Share Lessons Learned For Your Letter to Your Younger Self

Compliments are good, but that shouldn’t be where they end. To show that things have changed, you should also explain the lessons you’ve learned to get where you are. Think of this as advising your past self in your letter to your younger self, giving closure, and looking back to make sense of everything that happened. While it can’t change the past, it is a breath of fresh air that lets you vent your frustration and close that part of your life.

4, Say What You Will Do Now

Once you close this chapter of your life, the best assurance you can give in your letter to your younger self is that you are moving forward. You can do this by sharing your plans and letting them know what you will do once you finish this letter. Share your plans, hopes, and dreams of what you want to do instead and how you will carry this experience with you.

5, End with Gratitude

To end this letter, one of the best things you can do is end with some thanks. If no one was with you in this difficult time, you can be for them now by giving them some gratitude. Let them know that their experiences haven’t been in vain and you are ready to handle whatever will happen next. This can be your motivation and your guidance to all future problems.

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Aside from writing letters to your past self, it is also common for people to write to their future selves as well. You can learn more about that here.