A letter from your future self

The exercise helps gaining distance from life events, fosters gratitude, positive thinking, and inner wisdom.

Duration: 80 minutes. Introduction: 10 minutes. Writing: 30 minutes. Summary: 40 minutes.

Difficulty level: 4/5

Source: WzMOCnieni

Preparation

Pen, paper, envelopes.

Introduction (10 minutes)

Inform participants that you will be writing letters addressed to someone truly extraordinary—a wonderful friend who is wise, kind, honest, generous, courageous, and hardworking. This person has been eagerly waiting for their letter. And that person is you. You will be writing to yourselves.

Instructions

• Invite participants to write a letter from their future self—a version of themselves from a year ahead, a decade into the future, or perhaps even their all-knowing, timeless soul.

• Encourage them to write from a place of wisdom and calm self-confidence, infusing their words with love, understanding, support, and serenity.

• Invite them to reflect on current events, feelings, and thoughts from the perspective of several years in the future. Encourage them to offer positive and reassuring answers to the questions or concerns that may be troubling them today.

• Encourage them to share in their letters the positive experiences that lie ahead, allowing their future selves to reassure them of the well-being and prosperity waiting for them. Let them reflect on the abundance and good times unfolding in their lives right now. Ask them to express pride and satisfaction in their current efforts, positive experiences, and resolutions, affirming the progress they are making.

• Remind participants of the proper letter format:

  • Beginning: Dear.../My dearest…

  • End: With love / Best regards / Love / Hugs

• Provide some helpful phrases to inspire their letter writing:

  • It’s me, your future self, reaching out to you because…

  • I’m writing to you from the future because I can see that you’re worrying unnecessarily…

  • You don’t know it yet, but…

  • You’ll be surprised to learn that…

  • I’m so proud of you…

  • I’ve been wanting to write to you for a long time to tell you that…

• Offer participants 30 minutes to write. As the time comes to an end, gently prompt them to conclude their letter with a message of love and encouragement.

Wrap-up (40 minutes)

• Invite participants to a conversation about their impressions.Encourage those who feel comfortable to read their letter aloud. Allow extra time if each participant wants to share and read their letter. This might take a while, especially if we think about emotions that might come up along the way.

• For those who prefer to keep it private, ask questions about their experience with the exercise:

  • How did you find the writing process?

  • What surprised you the most?

  • What emotions did you experience while writing?

• Invite everyone to use the envelopes and address the letters to themselves to add a sense of uniqueness and personal touch.