Art of Healthy Living Advent Calendar

Who can remember the last time they received a hand written letter in the post? I bet there aren’t many of you.

The tradition of letter writing is slowly but surely being wiped out of existence by emails, texts and ‘can’t-be-bothered-itus’, but how much happier does it make you feel to receive a letter through the post, than a sub-standard cut and paste email?

Heaploads is how much, so day 20 on the Art of Healthy Living Advent Calendar is asking you to put pen to paper and write yourself a lovely letter.

What you write is up to you, but here are a few ideas to get those creative juices flowing:

How about writing to your future self? Think about where you’re currently at in your life now and where you would like to be in say 5, 10, 20 years time. Write these goals and aspirations down in letter form and explain how excited you are for the future. Once you’ve written it, put it away somewhere safe ready for you to open up and read when the time comes.
Or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, why not write a letter to your past self instead? Think back to a moment when you were going through tough times, when you weren’t very happy and things didn’t look like they would ever get better. Write some words of encouragement to not only act as a kind of self therapy but also to show your present self just how far you’ve come on your journey.
You could write a letter that you would like to share with another family member, for example your son or daughter, for when they’re older. Maybe you find it hard to express your love for them on a day-today basis and this could be the perfect way for you to show them and to share with them when the letter arrives in the post.
Or maybe you would just like to receive some compliments from yourself; hey we’re all much tougher on ourselves than others are, so it’s time to cut yourself some slack and send yourself some happy thoughts. Sending a postcard with a positive quote or a happy thought is such an uplifting feeling and a great way to put a smile back on your face.

Whatever you choose, just make sure you take your time when writing your letter and use it as an opportunity, a bit like when writing in a diary, to empty your mind of thoughts and enjoy the release of emotions as you do so.

Remember to check back tomorrow to see what’s behind door 21 of the Art of Healthy Living Advent Calendar.