During quarantine, putting pen to paper became a surefire way for me to connect with loved ones and increase my happiness. There’s a very good reason why writing good old-fashioned letters (not scrolling Instagram or binging Netflix) got me through quarantine: letter-writing is linked to significant mental health benefits
Gen Z is jumping on the bandwagon
TikTok’s hashtag #penpal has more than 295 million views
- Online stationery brand Papier noted a 300 percent increase in sales of notecards and writing paper
- A penpal community such as #Penpalooza has emerged
Five reasons to write a real-life letter
More thoughtful way to communicate with someone
- Contemplative activity rather than a quick chore
- Physically writing out ideas in your head helps clear them up
- Letter-writing can be a purifying exercise to help you get clarity about how you feel about a situation or someone, release negative feelings or thoughts, and meaningfully prepare for a conversation with a loved one
- People remember how you made them feel
Stay consistent
Make letter-writing a practice
- Start a tradition
- Sherry Richert Belul, founder of Simply Celebrate, writes the same number of letters as the age she turns
- Send missives into the future
- Tell loved ones how you feel about them
- Write letters to be read posthumously
