🌸 Creative Self-Care: Write A Letter To Your Younger Self
A Forgiveness Exercise Connecting To The Younger Version Of Yourself
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🌸 Creative Self-Care
The Creative Self-Care series is a section of the Emily Lupita ❤️🔥 Creativity Series that features illustrated activities to promote creativity + wellness, plus provides links to three things I love online this week.
Write A Letter To Your Younger Self
Today’s creative self-care activity is to make our own “Write A Letter To Your Younger Self,” sketch.
This technique seems like a writing exercise, but it’s actually a forgiveness exercise. We write this letter to our younger self to encourage them, but also to forgive ourselves for not being everything we needed to that younger self. Especially for those of us who experienced childhood trauma, this seemingly simple exercise can help facilitate deep healing and forgiveness that we weren’t able to save ourselves (or others) from that trauma.
We were children, and we didn’t have the knowledge or resources to provide everything our younger self needed. It wasn’t our responsibility to “save ourselves” in the first place, and it can feel very liberating to realize and accept that fact.
Above is the first sketch I drew for this activity. I imagined an old-time scroll sitting on a striped table. I’m not sure why, but that’s what came to mind. 🎨 I added in a fabulous checkered pen and a pen cup holding more fabulousness. The background is chaotic, but the letter is calm and encouraging.
Let’s use this ⬆️ blank version of a person writing a letter on a table. Grab a few colored pencils, your watercolors, some markers, highlighters…whatever you have within easy reach. Or use your phone / tablet’s “mark up” to digitally color.
What type of writing utensil would you use? Do you have a favorite type of pen or would you choose a pencil, crayon, or marker?
What items are sitting on your table? Choose items that make you feel comfortable and safe. These items support you while you write your letter.
What would you say to your younger self? Try writing the first thing that comes to mind without too much over-thinking. You can always go back and edit it later after you’ve had some time to process.💗
☀️ Share your thoughts on this activity in the comments.
Lupita Illustration
This is the illustration I designed from today’s activity.
Lupita writes a letter to her younger self. She tapes in a photo of little Lupita to look at while she writes. She has her loyal cat and her favorite cactus and a comfy cup of tea to support her. Lupita wants her younger self to know that she is loved and valued. She wants her younger self to know how many beautiful moments are headed her way. “You are strong,” Lupita writes. “I am here, pulling you forward. Keep going.”
🙋🏻♀️What I’m Reading & Watching
Adam Grant discusses the surprising habits of original thinkers.
A Spotify playlist, “Classical Music for Creativity.”
This quick read article from The Conversation about creative dance.
Good journey,
❤️🔥Emily Lupita
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