WRITE YOURSELF A LETTER

If you are feeling sad, depressed, confused or hurt, even happy or maybe excited about something you just accomplished.

Write yourself a letter and mail it back to yourself. You will get the letter back in a few days and read it. But do me this one favour when you get the letter. Create a comfortable spot and place to read it correctly, where you can focus and understand what the letter says. If you feel compelled to read right now in your car or on your walk from the mailbox, go for it. Be present.

Take the time to soak it up, and try understanding where you're coming from. You will be shocked by what you wrote. Self-reflection and awareness of yourself and your thoughts are good things, whether negative or positive. If you have never done or felt this, you are in for a real treat and learning lesson.

I believe this tactic works because sometimes, in that moment of hurt or sadness, even happiness, we say and think things that are not fact or true. In most cases, they aren’t even our thoughts.

They could be thoughts from the past, like in childhood, or beliefs our parents passed on to us. In reality, they probably aren’t even yours, to begin with. Watch for patterns. This could mean something.

In a few days, the feelings always pass, and by writing the letter, when you get to read it, you will think to yourself, "really"! I felt that way. This will only work if you're honest with yourself while writing the letter.

We forget after a few hours and then repeat the same nasty self chatter later. By seeing it on paper and making the conscious effort to look at how we felt and evaluate if what we were feeling was, in fact, a genuine feeling.

Then and only then can we look at how we can change our thinking. Here's a tip: never make a decision based on emotions. If you feel like you're not in the right headspace, be honest and say, I can't answer that right now; I will need some time. It's an art and delicate dance to learn.

SOME THINGS TO REFLECT ON

Ask yourself, was it fair to think of all those things or have those thoughts or feelings?

P.S To make this easier, prep up some envelopes with “your info,” but leave the return name until you are mailing it because on the returning address area, do it as I show in the example below. In the center, the part fills in your real name because that's whom it is going to. Get some cute stickers for the back if you want, spray it with your favourite perfume, put sparkles in it, and have fun with it.

Examples

Seriously Sad (how your feeling), the name on the return part doesn't matter ;)

1234 take it back rd (your actual address)

Vancouver, British Columbia

V6U29D

OR

Happy as Hell

1234 take it back rd (your exact address)

Vancouver, British Columbia

V6U29D

Good Luck, and hashtag a pic so I can see. #letterstomyself