Exercise: Writing a letter to your future

Choose a point in the future — five, ten, fifteen, or twenty years from now, or another time that feels meaningful to you.

1. Write the future date or time you chose in the top corner of the letter.
2. Imagine that the years have passed and that you are writing to a friend. Choose someone you know and with whom you would like to remain friends in the future.
3. As you write the letter, imagine that on the day you are writing it, you are living a joyful, healthy, and fulfilling life.
4. If you are currently struggling with problems, assume that by the time you are writing the letter, these problems have either been resolved or you have found satisfying ways to cope with them.
5. Then explain how you solved the problems or difficulties that once troubled you. Describe what you found to be the most helpful approach, looking at your present life from the perspective of your future self.
6. Describe in detail how you spend your time in this imagined future. What is a typical day like? Where do you live?
7. Describe your relationships, beliefs, reflections on the past, and plans further into the future.

This letter is not meant to be sent; it is for you alone. Dating the letter and addressing it to a real person strengthens its psychological realism for you, both consciously and unconsciously.

As you write your letter, do not worry about limiting yourself only to things that seem realistic based on your current life. This is not necessary and may restrict you unnecessarily. Write your “Future Letter” with an open mind, allowing room to surprise yourself.

Source: Dolan, Yvonne (1998). A Small Step: The Path to a Good Life After a Traumatic Experience. Lyhytterapiainstituutti.