A Letter to My Future Self

A few years ago, I was volunteering in India, and we did this fun activity where you write yourself a letter at the beginning to read at the end of the experience.
Unfortunately, I left early and never got to reread my letter – and if I’m honest, I never really thought about it again. Until the lovely people in India very kindly sent the letter to me two years later.

The letter was a surprise (although a nice one) but more importantly it was eye-opening. When I travelled to India, I was at a low point, and my travelling was supposed to improve things. My letter was very much so a reflection of that. In it, I am practically begging myself to stay, to do something and to stick it out. It’s a little bit scary.

Ironically India did give me exactly what I needed. I found myself unwell and had to leave early, and as a result, it has led to a two-year journey of self-care; I now try to prioritise what I need and take care of myself. It’s not been a straightforward journey – and I wouldn’t describe myself as good at it, but slowly I see improvements.

This is why seeing the letter is a positive, because it shows just how far I have come in the two years. Day by day, the progress feels slow, but seeing that letter is like the starting line. I can see just how far I have come.

So, I thought it would be nice to write another letter to myself to lay down another marker.

Dear Sonja

How time flies. A few years ago, you quit your job and decided to go travelling. Now the travelling is over, and it’s time for new adventures. In particular, you are living on your own and working on your happiness.

It’s fair to say that now you view your travels with mixed success. You always had to come home early, and they were a lot harder than you imagined, and thanks to COVID, travelling back to pick up the things you feel that you missed isn’t a very advisable option now.

But they did give you precisely what you needed; in India, you realised that you needed to take care of yourself more, and in Australia, you realised that you needed your own space (and it didn’t need to be on the other side of the planet). Both experiences pushed and tested you and lead to better things.

Now I am working in roles that I enjoy (even if I don’t want them all of the time). I am a comfortable salary (we have learnt that I am a creature of comfort), and finally, in the last six weeks, I have completely moved out from Mum and Dad’s into an unfurnished little house that I rent.

Now there are new challenges, like the stress of moving house, trying to keep on top of everything as I try to care even better care of myself, and trying to let go of ideas that have been a massive part of my life (like losing weight, and the pressure I put on myself to be perfect).

I’m beginning to realise that there will always be challenges, but hopefully, those challenges will keep moving and changing as time goes on. So here are things that I hope are a part of your reality.

I hope that you get to a point where your home is a home and doesn’t just feel like you are camping in your living room.

I hope that your relationship with food and exercise resembles someone who wants to live a healthy life, not the yo-yo it has been in the past.

I hope that the lessons that you need to learn to move forward are a little easier to learn and that you don’t need to travel to the far corners of the earth and break the bank to understand them.

In your original letter, talk about getting into routines, trying new things, and setting up a blog. I want to remind you that it’s ok to not be ready for new experiences in this letter. It’s ok not to try things if you are not prepared and that pushing yourself can be tiny steps. After all, it might have taken two years (and maybe a bit longer if we are honest), but those little steps have finally reached a point where we can write a blog – and not be completely freaked out by it.

Good luck in the future 😊

Sonja