How to Get Unstuck: Write to You
Compose a letter to your future self
When I was a kid, I used to write letters to myself as an adult. I think I got the idea from one of the Emily of New Moon books by L.M. Montgomery. I wrote a letter from myself at 10 to myself at 20. I wrote a letter from myself at 14 to myself at 24. I may have written another one at some point. I was a bookish child, and I loved putting pen to paper. The ritual was comforting.
These letters were very sentimental and embarrassing, but that’s how I regard a lot of my writing when I’m a few years past doing it — including some passages in my books (enjoy!) Ultimately, the letters were really cute and sweet, a reminder that even though I dealt with severe depression and anxiety as a child and during adolescence, I still wanted to live. I still envisioned some kind of future for myself.
I still think there’s something special about that. Maybe it’s just that there’s always something sacred in a child’s hope.
Years ago, I read a brief essay by writer/actor/human Wil Wheaton about being kind to Future You. It was lovely, and I want to encourage you to read it as well when you’ve got time. Wil’s writing, as well as the aforementioned old childhood experiment of mine, informs this piece, which (spoiler alert) encourages you to take a break and write a letter…
