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memory lane<br />
Think about what you would like<br />
to leave in the past, and what you<br />
would like to take forward<br />
thinking about what the people<br />
in our lives mean to us, and<br />
treasuring those relationships.<br />
To start, sketch out a tree on a<br />
large sheet of paper, with branches<br />
that represent your relationship to<br />
each family member, writing their<br />
names in the appropriate place.<br />
Next, draw or write things that you<br />
associate with each person by their<br />
name. Maybe a delicious apple<br />
crumble comes to mind when you<br />
think of your aunt, or relaxing on<br />
the beach with your cousin.<br />
Of course, not all family<br />
relationships are easy, and not all<br />
associations positive. If that’s the<br />
case, you may decide to focus your<br />
tree on those who you feel positively<br />
towards, reminding yourself of all<br />
the good in your life. Or how about<br />
making a tree that celebrates your<br />
close friendships instead?<br />
Photo albums<br />
One of the most well-established<br />
ways of preserving memories is<br />
with photo albums. But in our time<br />
of smartphones and social media,<br />
many of us have forgotten the simple<br />
joy of carefully positioning printed<br />
photos into an album, or flicking<br />
through old ones and smiling at the<br />
memories and our questionable<br />
fashion choices of yesteryear.<br />
There are lots of services that<br />
let you upload your digital photos<br />
to be turned into physical prints.<br />
Once they arrived, give yourself<br />
an afternoon to fill a photo<br />
album. Try taking a mindful<br />
approach, focusing on<br />
the feelings that come<br />
with each photo, the<br />
associations held within<br />
each image, and the<br />
memories they bring.<br />
Get nostalgic with music<br />
Music has an amazing power to<br />
remind us of people and places.<br />
Perhaps there’s a song that<br />
always makes you smile because<br />
you danced to it at a friend’s<br />
wedding or a family party (‘Mr<br />
Brightside’, anyone?).<br />
Try putting together a playlist<br />
to revisit old favourites. Or<br />
find out what music matters to<br />
your loved ones – this is a great<br />
chance to bond over a surprise<br />
shared song, and to learn<br />
something new about those<br />
we’re close to.<br />
Write a letter to<br />
your younger self<br />
Writing a letter to your younger<br />
self is a chance to think about the<br />
ways you’ve developed in the years<br />
since, the achievements you’ve<br />
celebrated, the lessons you’ve<br />
learnt, and advice you’d give.<br />
Think back five or 10 years, or<br />
longer if you like, and consider<br />
how your life is different now.<br />
Some things may be harder,<br />
and that’s OK – but some<br />
things may have changed for<br />
the better. What do you wish<br />
you had known back then?<br />
What advice do you have? Be<br />
compassionate to the younger<br />
you as you write. You could also<br />
write a letter to your future self,<br />
capturing your current hopes<br />
and ambitions.<br />
Use this letter writing as a<br />
chance to think about what you<br />
would like to leave in the past,<br />
and what you would like to take<br />
forward with you.<br />
SIDE<br />
1<br />
C90<br />
<strong>happiful</strong>.com | September <strong>2021</strong> | 93
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