Love Letter

Love Letter

Aim: Encourage reflection on our relations with ourselves, family and friends that leads to better self-care and personal growth by writing letters.

Level: 3
Duration: 10-15 min

Reflecting on many shades of affection.

Instructions

  • Prepare paper, envelopes and preferably a fountain pen to make that simple activity more ceremonial. If possible, you can use stationery, if not, just decent, plain paper.
  • Pick up a person with whom you have or used to have a meaningful relationship (e.g. father, grandmother, uncle, cousin, good colleague from the university/former job), it doesn't have to be your most beloved person from your family or friends circle, it might be even refreshing to pick up somebody unusual.
  • Write a letter to that person in which you will cherish your relationship, and talk more about what happens in your life, how you feel about it, if you want you can also complain or ask for advice. Additionally, you can bring back common memories, ask what happens in their life, and tell them why appreciate them. Perhaps invite for a coffee?
  • Put the letter into the envelope and then decide if you want to send, keep it or even destroy it. All ways are valid and have their own uses.

Advice

Love doesn't mean only romantic attachment. You may explore ancient Greek reflection on love and choose whom to write a letter expressing one of 8 different types of love. If you don't feel like writing to anybody you can practice self-love and self-compassion and write to yourself (you can pick up variants to write to yourself from the past, present or future).

  • Storge — familial love, between parents and children
  • Philautia — self-love and self-compassion
  • Philia — love of friends and equals, affectionate love, brotherly love
  • Pragma — long-term, reliable, enduring love
  • Eros — romantic, erotic, passionate love
  • Ludus — playful love, flirting
  • Mania — obsessive love
  • Agape — love of mankind, loving kindness for all beings, unconditional love

For more check the website: www.ftd.com/blog/give/types-of-love