Past vs. present worksheet
By
HappierTherapy
Author bio
The Happier Therapy editorial team is made up of Masters and PhD counselling psychologists. Each worksheet is created by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The worksheet then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
Download Worksheet
What is the theory behind this Past Vs. present worksheet?
An individual’s self-concept is a combination of their past, present, and future selves. A person’s internal mental image of who they are is an outward reflection of who they are inside. Internal mental images show the person as they are right now, as well as their past and present selves.
How will the worksheet help?
The letter to your past self serves as a tool for introspection, self-awareness, and self-acceptance. By allowing the client to write a letter to their past self, the client not only acknowledges the mistakes they made when they didn’t know better but also can observe the growth in themselves. Furthermore, it will help them to move on to a better place.
How to use the worksheet?
Clients will be asked to write a letter to their past childhood selves when they were having a tough time. Write anything they feel like. Write until they feel they have addressed every aspect of the problem they were facing at the time, while also loving themselves, forgiving others and yourself, and being sympathetic. Tell their former self what’s about to happen and how they should respond. Tell about how much you have grown over the years and what coping mechanism you have used to overcome all the hardships all these years, that are contributing to life satisfaction in the present moment.
You can download this worksheet here.
