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Dear FutureMe, What are you like? This whole "writing letters to your future self" plan is so nice, but I wish I could get a letter back from you, or write one to a past self. I would do it all the time. "Dear self from last week, Don't yell at her for not eating the whole thing. It's not her fault--she has a disorder & she needs help. She's not doing it to piss you off. Calm down and talk to her about it, get her an appointment with an anorexia/bulimia specialist. You can do this. There's no need to be mean to her." "Dear self from 4th grade, Yes, it's sad that Suzy wants an abortion, but think of the way John treats her. Maybe it would be her best option. Stop judging her so harshly and think for a second about what you might have to do in her situation. Understand that the world is not always black and white, and that sometimes we all need to do a few not-so-great things to deal with the gray areas." "Dear self from 9th grade, Don't go near Geoff. He's only going to hurt you. Find some people you really like and stop just seeing people because it's convenient. Have some self-esteem. I promise things are gonna get SO much better! Just wait for summer & you'll see what I mean." Yeah, those all would've helped. But maybe this'll help you when you get it. I hope you're doing well, coping with college alright, and not beating yourself up too badly or stressing out too much. You're still beautiful & smart & I hope you've figured that out. Much love, The Old You