Tool to try: write a letter to your future self

One thing I’ve learned in struggling to resume is that I can’t just try harder, I have to try different. So I’m always looking for new tools. Here’s one I really like.

On the website futureme.org you can write a letter to your future self. Maybe you in 7 days, or 14, or 30 days. 

Write a letter congratulating yourself for making it through those days with squeaky clean bright lines. The website will deliver it to your email inbox after that designated time. There’s no fee.

When I first did this, I wrote a letter to myself in 2 weeks time, praising myself wildly for accomplishing something so awesome. “You rock! You are so awesome and I am so so so proud of you.” Things like that.

And guess what? In those two weeks, I kept my bright lines. I really wanted to deserve the praise and didn’t want to get a letter congratulating me for something I hadn’t done.

It worked. And I’ve used this tool often since then, especially if I’m facing a tough time.

[By the way, I’ve also learned in my relapse struggles that for a tool to work, you can’t break it. Once I’ve broken it once, it won’t work for me anymore. So I’ve also got the incentive not to break another tool. Bonus!]

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Bright Line Eating or Susan Peirce Thompson. The opinions in this blog are entirely my own.