Attention, Time-Travelers!

Illustrations by Dave Murray

Imagine a time machine suddenly appeared. Before you get too excited about riding a woolly mammoth, here’s the catch: it only allows you to go back and visit previous versions of yourself!

Step into the machine … strap into the seat … and vwaaap! Suddenly you’re looking at a younger you. What would you say to yourself? Maybe your younger self is having a great day, and you tell yourself to enjoy every minute. Or maybe you’re having a hard day, and you give yourself a compassionate hug.

If it was me, there’s a good chance my younger self would be stressed out about something. I was anxious a lot because I hated making mistakes! I didn’t do well with changes, like moving to a new grade or school. And there were lots of times when I felt like I didn’t fit in.

Since then, I’ve learned some skills for coping with these thoughts and feelings.

If I could travel back in time, here are pro tips I would share with my younger self:

• Especially when trying something new, you are going to mess up—and that’s OK! Practice being compassionate and encouraging to yourself. As President Jeffrey R. Holland once said, “Imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we. … Be patient and kind and forgiving.” Nowadays when I try something new, I give myself a pep talk, like, “This is probably going to be messy. But that’s what the first few tries are for! Then I can practice and improve.”

• It’s OK to feel sad when circumstances change, especially friendships. Trust that relationships get better as you grow up. Your social world will expand. You’ll learn to set boundaries to be less tied to people who bring negativity into your life or drain you emotionally and spiritually. And true friendships will evolve over time. As you stay close to Heavenly Father and the Savior—always your most important relationships—They will guide you to a deeply fulfilling and connected future.

• You’ll go through lonely seasons of life, but they will pass. The Savior understands the pain of loneliness and will be walking that road with you. Eventually you’ll meet people who care about you and share your interests. And guess what? Your experiences are actually helping you develop a superpower: empathy! Because you know how it feels to be left out, you become extra good at noticing and including others the way the Savior would.

The bottom line? Life just keeps getting better and better! As President Russell M. Nelson reassured us: “We have so much to look forward to! …

“I am not saying that the days ahead will be easy, but I promise you that the future will be glorious for those who are prepared and who continue to prepare to be instruments in the Lord’s hands.”

That doesn’t mean it’s a perfect upward line every day. I think of life more like a three-dimensional spiral, where sometimes it might seem like I’m facing familiar troubles over and over again. But as I keep following Jesus Christ, I’m actually moving to a higher spiritual plane than I was before—onward and upward.

Now it’s your turn. What would you tell your younger self? And, to take it a step further, what do you think your future self would come back and say to you right now?!

Whoa. That’s a lot to think about. We’d better stop before somebody’s mind explodes. Happy time-traveling!