Write Reflect Grow
What’s the Big Idea?
What’s the Big Idea?

letter-writing

Writing letters to fight social isolation (and COVID-19)

Greetings and wishes for health and wellness to all!

While this is not a post I had anticipated writing, this is what is currently on my mind.

I’m writing about something we can all do right now, an action that does good, on multiple levels, for ourselves and for others. It is a healthy and engaging activity for ALL ages (while we are hunkered down at-home). Additionally, it is an activity that can help recover from the impact of COVID-19 too. Read on to see how.

I am referring to the act of writing a letter to mail to someone. What many refer to as the “lost art” of letter-writing. On the one hand, if we look around us (well, around us online), we may see many of the “lost arts” making a resurgence in this time of social isolation. The lost art of sewing. Of baking bread. Of vegetable gardening. One of the benefits of being asked to slow down is that we can connect with these activities which do lend themselves to mindfulness and reflection.

Your call to action: Write a letter to someone else. Just because.

Benefits of writing a letter, right now:

How is the act of writing a letter good for you and others?

  • Writing letters is a way to stay connected and even build or strengthen relationships with anyone in the world, whether thousands of miles away or around the corner.

  • Writing a letter generates excitement. The excitement of receiving and opening a letter that arrives just for YOU (please wash your hands after).

  • Writing a letter can promote a host of positive emotions. Knowing you are doing something positive for someone else is also a feel-good for you!

  • Writing a letter is an activity for you or anyone else in your home who might be in need of something a little different.

  • A letter can then become keepsake or memento of this period of time.

  • Writing a letter is an opportunity for self-expression and perhaps reflection on the times. Or anything you want to write about.

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How can the act of writing a letter be good for the world at present?

Simply put, when you write a letter on a greeting card that we have created for the Things You Can Do Today campaign, 100% of proceeds will go directly to assist in recovery efforts from Coronavirus. We have created a set of 4 original 5x7 cards and envelopes. The charity we have chosen is 4-CT, Connecticut COVID-19 Charity Connection to move funds to where they are most needed now to fight this deadly virus.

Why did we create this set of greeting cards?

Because we want to do something to help improve the current state of affairs while also encouraging positivity and connection and tapping into our own creativity.

How can you obtain a set of greeting cards?

We have created a series of daily actions which are designed to inspire and light a spark within you. To purchase, order your set of cards here. While you are waiting for your order to arrive, think about who you’ll write to! And if you are looking for some other reflective activities to do during this time, we invite you to check out these journaling resources and tools to help work through an emerging idea.

What to do once you receive your set of cards?

1) Write letters.

2) Mail them.

3) See what happens after you do. Did you receive a return letter? How was this experience for you? We’d love to hear!

May this endeavor become a rewarding and enjoyable activity that directly does some good for the world!


Best,

Marni Amsellem, Ph.D.

Founder, Write. Reflect. Grow.

A love letter to love letters

If you’re feeling fortunate about love in your life, read on.

This post is designed to inspire you to write a love letter expressing what is in your heart. As we often say, there is tremendous power in reflection. What is a love letter if not a reflection of your feelings for someone else? (We also advocate writing a love letter to yourself too).

Though you may think of a love letter as a relic from the past, remember that actually some of the most remarkable insights and sources of inspiration come from digging into the past. Plus, nostalgia can feel lovely!

So if it has been a while since you’ve written a love letter to your partner, maybe now’s the time to revisit this practice. Of if you’ve got a new love in your life, there’s hardly a sweeter and more intimate thing to do than to share in words how you feel about your love with your love.

Even in an age when we can communicate to another person via our wristwatches, crafting a love letter remains timeless. Love letters eternally live on as a way to express heartfelt and authentic sentiments between romantic partners.

How do you write a love letter?

You can write your love letter the same way you go about writing anything where you are tapping into your emotions: Allow yourself to feel what you are feeling and then let yourself find the words that capture what it is that you feel. Then get it out by writing it down.

The words will start to flow. Even if you end up changing your wording or making some major edits, you’ll have tapped into what is driving you to write the letter and what you’re wanting to communicate. Not many of us are naturally gifted at capturing what we are trying to say in words or accessing our deep feelings; writing a love letter can help bring you there and focus your message.

What should your love letter look like?

You are the only person to define the limits of your love letter. Whether poem or novella, post-it note or love song, whether written with hand-dipped ink or scribbled in pencil, it can convey a lot. Your note need not be long to have impact. If you write from the heart, it will read as honest and open and thoughtful and sweet. Getting in touch with your emotions will guide you to find the words and express what you’re wanting to communicate.

And if you’re looking for a starting place to get the ink flowing, here are some prompts:

Some of my favorite things about you/ about us ….

I am grateful for you because…

When I think about you,…

Since you’ve come into my life…

Aside from (unintentionally) improving your communication skills and building awareness of your own emotions, writing a love letter can promote many positives in your relationship as well. A love letter can ignite or reawaken excitement and passion in your relationship. Sharing emotions is a way to build closeness and intimacy in your relationship. Your partner will know how you are feeling right now, which may make your partner feel really good! So while your love note might seem like a little gesture, it may inspire a whole lot more!

A love letter also makes for a wonderful physical keepsake of where you are at this point in your lives together. You can revisit this point of time at any point in the future.

Regardless of what your letter looks like, you’re bringing something bold and expressing some of your most heartfelt feelings when you write a letter to your love. So tap into what you feel and get writing!

Written with love,

Marni Amsellem, Ph.D.

Founder, Write. Reflect. Grow.

A love letter to yourself

“To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.”

– Oscar Wilde

Some of the most powerful human experiences are to love and to feel loved. Typically we think of ‘love’ in the context of our relationships with others. Nurturing these relationships is certainly life-altering and life-enriching.

This post focuses on a different kind of love. The love that affects a life-long relationship. The love that comes from within. This post is focused self-love. The love that impacts the most important relationship we ever have.

We can choose to celebrate this relationship.

As we are in the midst of February, the month that compels us to celebrate love, I’m suggesting that we make a deliberate effort to honor self-love.

To help you do this, I’ve provided some ideas to help you nurture self-love. The prompts below redirect your attention to this highly important relationship. You can open up your journal to a blank page and write any or all of these prompts at the top of the pages. Alternately, you can take a few moments to reflect on them now. Regardless of what you do, take some time to love yourself. Here are some questions to guide you:

Three of my favorite qualities about myself are __________.

I am post proud of myself for working toward or accomplishing ___________.


Kind words that someone else has said to or about me include ________. This made me feel _________.

Kind words that I have said to or about someone else include _________. This made that person feel ___________.

I consider myself very knowledgable about or skilled in ________.

One action I have taken recently to honor myself is ________ and it made me feel _______ to do this.

One way that I can continue to show myself love is ___________.

Regardless of how you focus on all of the lovely things you can think about yourself or say to yourself or recall about yourself or feel about yourself, know that they all affect your relationship with yourself. And the tone for all of your relationships is set with your own relationship with yourself. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said, “Find the love you seek, by first finding the love within yourself. Learn to rest in that place within you that is your true home.”

If you would like to continue to explore your relationship with yourself, the moment will be very soon that the first journal in the Reflections Journal Series will be available for sale! The journal, Self-reflections: A Journal for Exploration and Growth is coming in March, 2020! Please stay tuned for more details. Meanwhile if you would like to preorder a copy, please email writereflectgrow@gmail.com and indicate “preorder journal” in the subject heading.

Written with love for the power of self-love,

Marni Amsellem, Ph.D.

Founder, Write. Reflect. Grow.