Dear Future Me… I Hope You’re Not Still This Broken

## **Dear Future Me… Please Don’t Be Like This**

WRITTEN BY .[MUHAMMAD YOUNAS]

Dear Future Me,

I don’t know where you are right now, or what your life looks like. I don’t know who stayed, who left, or whether you finally found the peace I keep searching for. But I’m writing this from a place you should never forget—the version of us that is tired, confused, and quietly breaking while pretending everything is fine.

Please… don’t be like this.

Right now, there’s a heaviness in my chest that never really leaves. It’s not loud, not visible, but it’s always there. I wake up with it, carry it through the day, and go to sleep hoping it might disappear by morning. I smile when I’m supposed to, I laugh at the right moments, and I say “I’m okay” so naturally that no one ever questions it.

But you know the truth.

I’m not okay.

I overthink everything. Every word I say, every small mistake—I replay it again and again in my head, wondering if I embarrassed myself or said the wrong thing. I care too much about how people see me, even when I tell myself I shouldn’t. I hold onto people longer than I should, hoping they’ll change, hoping they’ll choose me.

Please tell me you’ve learned to let go.

Because right now… I don’t know how.

I hold onto memories like they still matter. I go back to old conversations, old moments, old versions of people who don’t even exist anymore. I stay in places that slowly drain me, just because I’m afraid of starting over.

Are you still like that?

Or did you finally choose yourself?

I hope you did.

I hope you stopped chasing people who never truly cared. I hope you stopped shrinking yourself just to fit into spaces where you didn’t belong. I hope you realized that being alone is better than feeling alone with others.

Because that’s how it feels right now—alone, even in a room full of people.

I act strong, but the truth is, I’m scared. Scared of failing. Scared of being left behind. Scared that maybe I’m not enough for the life I dream about. It feels like everyone else is moving forward while I’m standing still, trying to understand where I fit.

Did you figure it out?

Did you finally find your way?

I don’t expect life to be perfect. I know there will still be hard days. But I hope it’s different. I hope you wake up without that constant doubt in your mind. I hope you’ve built something—anything—that makes you proud of who you are.

Most of all… I hope you became kinder to yourself.

Because I’m not.

I blame myself for things that weren’t fully my fault. I push myself too hard and then feel guilty for being tired. I compare myself to others and feel like I’m always behind. It’s exhausting.

So please… tell me you’ve learned to rest.

Tell me you’ve learned that it’s okay to slow down.

And if you ever look back at this version of us—the one who felt lost, who doubted everything, who kept going anyway—don’t look at it with shame.

Look at it with respect.

Because even now… I’m still trying.

I’m still waking up every day.

Still hoping things will change.

Still believing that one day, I’ll become you.

So wherever you are… don’t forget me.

And please—don’t be like this.

— Me