Sweeter Horizons
One science backed tool to make choices your future self will thank you for
Hi there! This week, I wrote about the awful choices and behaviors I made that probably led to my illness. 6 years ago, a woman (me) yanked out her own acupuncture needles because she couldn’t bear to miss an extra ten minutes of work. That woman feels like a stranger to me now.
Maybe that’s actually the problem – we literally treat our future selves as strangers.
What could change if we didn’t?
The Problem:
FMRI research shows that when you think of your present self, a specific region of the brain lights up. But when you think about your future self, your brain reacts as if you are thinking of a stranger.
Not yourself. A stranger.
This explains a lot about my own story. When I was pushing through exhaustion, skipping doctor’s appointments, and subsisting on coffee and mini-bar provisions, I wasn’t just making unhealthy choices – I was making choices for someone I didn’t know. Someone I didn’t feel connected to.
I don’t want to live like that, and I don’t think you do either.
One Simple Tool:
If you want sweeter horizons, you need to strengthen your connection to your future self. Writing letters can create this connection.
Spend ten minutes a week writing a letter from your future self to you today. Pick a specific timeframe (e.g., 5 years from now) and have them tell you about:
What their typical day looks like
How their body feels
What brings them joy
What they’re grateful to you (their past self) for doing now
Anything else that comes up 🙃
Why it Works:
The science behind future self-connection for health, wealth, and well-being is compelling. Take a Stanford study: people who were shown aged-progressed images of themselves allocated twice as much money towards retirement.
It’s also intuitive. How can we best direct ourselves if we don’t know what we are directing ourselves towards? I know, the process sounds a bit awkward (and yes, woo-woo). But, if we’re going to spend so much time on “self-care,” isn’t it worth building a relationship with the person we are caring for?
Here’s to you and your favorite stranger.
J