You Are Not Alone; Letters To Our Younger Selves…

You are not alone. You are not the only one who feels this way– not by a long shot. Everyone feels insecure or scared or worried or like they’re not enough at some point. We all just hide it from everyone else. It’s okay to feel that way. Talk about it with someone else or with yourself through a letter.  It’s the first step to feeling better.

We all have times in our past which are memorable for being painful and difficult (UNLESS YOU’VE LIVED UNDER A ROCK.)

But what if you could go back in time and show that past version of yourself the love and empathy you needed during those hard times? What if you could give your past self the advice you needed back then? Writing to who you were at some point in your journey is one way of achieving that.

That is why I started running a series of posts on this blog titled, ” Letters To Our Younger Selves…”

I reached out last year and asked a number of people from our wonderful community here to share with me what they would say to their younger selves if they ever got the chance. I got incredible feedback and for that I’m still extremely grateful and I know the readers will be too.

Some of you probably think this is corny and are wondering why write a letter to your past self?

Well, most people find that writing letters to their younger selves can be very beneficial in certain ways. Writing to your younger self can help you to:

Gain closure

Gain clarity

Gain inner peace

Forgive yourself and others

Heal your pain and let go.

If I have managed to convince you to participate, your next question might be; how do I even start to write a letter to my past self? Well just…

Be honest – it’s a pointless exercise otherwise!

Be compassionate and empathetic

Tell yourself what you wish someone had told you back then

I’ve written a ton of letters to my younger self at different stages. It can be both exciting and painful to revisit some of those moments (depends on which one) but it has helped me to embrace my mistakes, my wounds and to welcome them. For how can we spread hope and help others heal if we don’t welcome and heal our own wounds? They are our battle scars that show we have danced with life and lived to tell the tale.

And isn’t that the first step of healing anyway?

Many people mask their pain by avoiding it. They rather forget the hurt which only reinforces it.

You must love and acknowledge your darkness, like pain and grief. If you appreciate the sun and wish away the darkness how would you see the stars at night?

So when you experience pain and suffering, love yourself.

When you’re insecure and afraid, love yourself.

When you find happiness and joy, love yourself.

I hope you may read the inspiring letters our courageous members have written and learn from them.  They are under one category called Letters To Our Younger Selves.

Letters to Our Younger Selves features a collection of amazing letters from our extraordinary community here filled with moving insights and advice about identity, belonging, hope and healing and so many other topics.

I hope that when you read these letters you’re inspired to reach out and participate. I’ll be honored to hear from you.

With All My Love_S.

Dear Self…Just Breathe.

Dear Self…This Is What I Know To Be True.

Dear Self…There is NOTHING you cannot achieve.

Dear Self…Please! Stay In School.

Dear Self…Life Is Beyond Us.

Dear Self…Love That Old Man!

Dear Self…You Will Find Home.

Dear Self…Life eventually becomes an incredible adventure!