Just recently, I was cleaning out my room and I came across a busted folder that was hiding in the back of my closet. When I opened the folder, all I saw were old drawings and little writing prompts.

As I began to flip through the papers, I came across a folded piece of paper in the back of the folder. I unfolded it and I realized that I had stumbled upon an old letter that I had addressed to my younger self. This was a total shock to me because I had forgotten that I had written this and shoved it away.

Finding this letter made me sit down on my laptop and rewrite it with a few new lessons I wanted to tell my younger self. Even though my younger self would never read this letter, it has given me closure to the things that I have learned and experienced in my life so far.

I am hoping that in the future, I will stumble upon this letter and be reminded of how much I have grown through the years.

Hey, man!

You’re probably wondering why you found this random letter, but you’re going to want to continue to read this. Trust me, it’ll be worth your time.

Let me just start off by saying: keep your friends close to you.

It may not seem like an issue right now because you are still in grade school. You have so many friends right now, especially your best friend. You two are going to have numerous up and down moments, but you two will continue to remain close as you grow up.

You have your own little group of friends, too. You all talk about video games, like Pokemon and Call of Duty. Plus, you hang out all the time in and out of school. Everyone in the classroom likes you, because they call you ‘Fun Size’ and you’re fun to be around. It feels great, doesn’t it? Having so many people to call your friends and having them by your side. Just cherish those moments because it’s all going to change.

Around junior high, you are going to experience some changes in your life.

You are going to have a huge crush on a girl and it is going to consume you for the longest time. Eventually, you are going to have enough courage to ask if you two wanted to hang out. She is going to say ‘yes’ and you are going to feel incredible. People will ask you why you’re smiling so much, but you don’t care one bit. Then…

She bails on you. You try to talk to her at school, but she ignores you. You try to text her, but she doesn’t respond. Finally, your friend tells you that she went with someone else to hang out.

You will feel horrible and embarrassed. You made a big deal about this with your family and your friends, saying that you’re going to hang out with a girl. But, it never became a reality. It was a dream that shattered right in front of you.

This brokenness carries on through the rest of junior high. You become silent and distant from the rest of your friends and classmates. You start to see people drifting from you as well. They don’t ask you to hang out as much, they seem to force a smile on you, and they rarely call you ‘Fun Size’ anymore.

This attitude stays with you through most of your life. You think it’s because of how your heart was broken that day, but it was something far greater. It was depression. It did not start because that girl abandoned you. It most likely started early on in your life when you were bullied in grade school for being small, how you like to draw, and being involved with theatre.

You try to make the depression go away, but it only gets worse as the years go on. High school is going to be a rough time for you. Your depression and anxiety will keep you enclosed and you do not open yourself up like you hoped to.

I am not writing this letter to scare you about the future, I am telling you as a heads up so that you are prepared for what is to come.

Even while fighting your depression and anxiety, you are going to make new friends in high school that you will continue to talk to throughout college. You’re going to get a fantastic job where you are going to feel important and make tons of new friends. You’re still going to face challenges in your life, but they will help you grow as a person and prepare you for the future.

Also, don’t forget to be there for people. Many friends, family members, teachers, and others are going to help you through your tough times, but so will your friends. Do not be selfish and forget about them. Be the rock that they want you to be so that you can help them as well. Your friends are what keep you going every day and they want you to be here, just as much as you want them in your life.

Be strong, Christian. It may look dark as life progresses, but it’ll get better. I promise.

Writing a letter to my younger self really helped me in setting my mind on the things that have made me into the person I am today. I encourage you to try and write a letter to your younger self, too. They may never read it, but when you find this letter again in the years to come, it will be an amazing discovery to see how much you have grown.