As mentioned in previous posts, journaling can be a wonderful way to get to know yourself. Another great thing about journaling is how you can write to yourself, about yourself, and for yourself to heal. One thing I like to do is write letters to my teenage self.
Teenage me was awkward in figuring out the world and constantly worrying about her future. I made plenty of mistakes as a teen and have some regrets over decisions that were made back then. One way I heal from those regrets is to write letters to my past self. In these letters, I forgive her for the choices made; I encourage her to live out her passions, and I shed light on important aspects to focus on. It’s a way that I can move forward from regret and imposed shame from choices I made that still affect my life.
This is a very therapeutic act of self-love and acceptance. Forgiving yourself from your past is a tremendous step in the healing process and writing letters to your past self is a way to articulate that forgiveness. Writing letters to your past self allows you to encourage characteristics about yourself you find endearing. Remind yourself to keep ahold of those attributes that make you who you are during a time in your life when you try to be everyone else.
This type of journaling style is to allow you to be honest and reflect on hard things from your past. This enables you to dive deep into your emotions about your life to this point.
Since this is my journal blog, I always love to share my poetry and journal entries with my readers, and this post is no different. Here is an excerpt from my letter to my teenage self. Please also see the full letter to myself in a separate post here, if you’d like to read the complete journal entry.
To My Teenage Self:
I love you, even when it seems like I don’t. I love your eyes, your hair, your smile. You have an amazing sense of humor and many talents. Focus on what makes you happy in life.
Know what you are worth. The goal is not to be loved by anyone and everyone. It’s being who you are. There are many guys out there and you have plenty of time for love. Don’t fall for the first one. Don’t place all your value on being loved. Live your life to the fullest, but be safe. Don’t let your hormones cloud your mind. You can find sex anywhere, focus on staying safe.
You are not crazy; you are amazing. You may intimidate some people and they’ll mistreat you because of it. I know this hurts your feelings and makes you sad. It’s okay to be sad, but please understand it will improve. You are a beautiful person and you don’t even know it. Be unapologetic yourself.
This type of letter to yourself can look many ways. Your past self can receive encouragement, and your past self can receive forgiveness. You can inform your past self about what the future looks like from your current perspective. These letters can be anything you need them to be. This journaling activity is designed to assist you in finding healing and inner connection. That is the whole point of journaling. To connect with yourself.
Take a moment the next time you journal to write a letter to your teenage self and enjoy all the benefits of this practice.