What did you feel totally confident about when you were a kid? Did you sing loudly even with people around? Did you wear mismatched clothes and still feel like you looked incredible? Did you draw and color excited to show your mom your amazing new artwork? Did you run fast and jump high because you were completely free?

Most of us start out as confident kids. We haven’t let outside voices seep in yet and our own self-talk is still generally positive. But then somewhere along the way that bright, bubbling confidence starts to crack and crumble.

We stop singing for fear someone could hear us. We stop dancing for fear someone will see us. We stop coloring, painting, and drawing. We stop a lot of things because we start to believe we aren’t good at them and therefore should not be doing them.

That confidence as a kid didn’t come from necessarily being good at the activity. It came from believing in ourselves.

When did you stop fully believing in yourself?

Read More: 33 Journal Prompts to Increase Your Self-Confidence as a Woman

Most of us spend a large amount of our adult life trying to recapture that youthful freedom, confidence, and hope. We forget how to believe in ourselves.

Recently I wrote an article about 9 pieces of advice I would give my younger self on being confident. When I was a teenager, I struggled with being confident and it took over 10 years before I started to allow myself to be confident again.

We need to let go of these limiting beliefs that we’ve held near and dear for far too long.

One of my favorite confidence-building exercises is putting pen to paper.

Writing a letter to your younger self is a great way to reflect on where you used to be, where you are now, and how to move forward with more confidence.

It offers us a chance to be that adult we wish we had as a kid. We can be the adult in our life now that builds us up, encourages us, and motivates us to continue reaching for our goals.

Are you ready to explore a deeper part of yourself and gain more confidence? This exercise might be emotional for you and it might be difficult. And that’s okay. That’s more than okay. That’s beautiful.

Reconnecting with our childhood selves can bring up a lot of emotions. I know it does for me. But being more connected to that part of myself has increased my confidence by allowing me to believe in myself again.

1. Set up your space for this confidence-building exercise: Allow yourself some quiet, uninterrupted time where you can sink into this experience.

Turn your phone off or silence it and put it out of reach. No distractions allowed.

Take some time to set up a welcoming space for yourself. Maybe light a candle and have your favorite beverage close by. Maybe wrap yourself in your favorite blanket and have your dog close by for comfort.

2. Gather your supplies: If you can I highly recommend using pen and paper. This can help in feeling more connected to the moment and it helps lock your words into your brain.

You can purchase a pretty notebook and smooth writing pens or use whatever is around you.

I am a bit of a pen snob, so these are my favorite pens. But for notebooks I just use whatever I have on hand.

*If you want to gain more confidence in just one week, subscribe to my newsletter to receivve your FREE copy of the 7-Day Confidence Building Workbook*

3. Close your eyes: Relax your neck and shoulder muscles and close your eyes.

Think back to a time when you really struggled with your confidence.

Were you a teenager? Were you 10? Or maybe you were in your twenties? Whatever point in your life where you felt insecure and unsure of yourself.

4. Greet that younger version of you: Now imagine you could walk right up to that younger version of you who’s struggling with being confident.

Picture yourself as you are now being able to sit down with the younger you. Maybe you’re at a park or an ice cream shop getting milkshakes. Maybe you’re in your childhood home or your favorite hangout spot when you were a kid.

Really visualize this moment including as much detail as you can.

What does it smell like? What does the younger you look like? What’s their facial expression? What noises are in the background? What is the energy of the place where you two are?

5. Look into their eyes: Really see the younger you for who you were then.

This is a whole kid or young adult or teenager sitting in front of you desperately struggling with their confidence.

This person in front of you needs to be seen, heard, and felt by you.

They need someone to say something to them that will help them in this journey of being confident in who they are.

Read More: 33 Empowering Affirmations to Boost Self-Confidence and How to Use Them

6. Give them advice: What would you say to this younger version of you sitting right in front of you?

What would tell them about being more confident in who they are?

What words of encouragement, support, and guidance can you offer them?

Would you tell them that their quirkiness is what makes them special?

Would you tell them they are talented at whatever activity they love and they only continue to get better at it?

Would you tell them to not be so afraid of taking risks and going after the unknown?

Would you tell them you’re proud of them?

Would you tell them not to listen to the people who try to bring them down?

Have a full conversation with the younger version of you. Give them the words you wish someone had given you at that age. Offer them the support and encouragement that you needed then.

7. Write it down: Write down everything you would say to the younger version of you.

Write down all the advice and supportive words you said to that little you sitting in front of you. Write down all the words you wish you would’ve heard when you were that age.

Write it all down.

Start with Dear Younger Me and then let your pen fly.

This letter can be as short or as long as you would like it to be. But don’t leave anything out. This is for your eyes only so be vulnerable and open with yourself.

Let your walls down and let the younger version of you in.

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*If you want to gain more confidence in just one week, subscribe to my newsletter to receivve your FREE copy of the 7-Day Confidence Building Workbook*

8. Let it sink in: When you’re finished writing, sit back and read what you wrote.

Let your words soak into you. Let them fill your mind and heart.

Allow this moment to take up space.

Hold your words close to you. Feel the weight of needing to hear those words for so long finally go. Be proud of yourself for doing this exercise.

9. Remember what you wrote: So many of us hang onto our childhood selves in unhelpful ways.

The kid version of us is screaming to be heard and seen, but we lock them away never realizing how much our actions in adulthood are because of that childhood version of us.

You wrote those words for the younger version of you, but you also wrote them for the you in present day. Anytime your confidence starts to waver, pull out your notebook and read your words.

You can be the adult you always needed as a kid and give yourself the encouragement and motivation you needed back then.

Read you words and allow the memory of meeting with the younger you to resurface.

Give yourself the words of confidence to keep going and to believe in yourself.

Read More: How Taking Drawing Lessons Improved My Overall Confidence

This exercise greatly helped me with my confidence journey.

Whenever I start to feel my confidence crumbling, I am reminded that the younger version of me is cheering me on. They believe in me, and they need me to believe them and myself.

I read what I wrote to the teenage me and allow my words to push me forward.

When I was nervous about opening my cross stitch pattern store and starting this blog, I reminded myself of how I told the younger me to keep believing in themselves and their creativity.

I told them to never let anything or anyone to dampen their spark, including myself.

Let me know how this exercise went for you. You can email me at [email protected] or leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!