5 Types of Letters Everyone Should Write at Least Once

There are some things that need to be written down. Not typed, not texted, not thought about and forgotten. Written. By hand. On paper.

Here are five letters everyone should write at least once in their life. Some you'll send. Some you might not. But all of them are worth writing.

1. The Thank You Letter

Not for a gift. Not for a job interview. For something bigger.

Think of someone who changed your life. A teacher who believed in you when you didn't believe in yourself. A friend who showed up during your worst moment. A mentor who opened a door you didn't know existed.

According to research from UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, expressing gratitude through writing not only strengthens relationships but also improves mental health and well-being for both the writer and recipient.

Write to them. Tell them what they did. Tell them how it mattered. Tell them you remember.

Most people go through life never knowing the full impact they've had on others. This letter gives someone that gift.

2. The Apology Letter

The one you've been avoiding. The person you hurt. The relationship you damaged. The mistake you never properly addressed.

A real apology—not "I'm sorry you felt that way" but "I'm sorry for what I did"—is hard to deliver in person. Emotions get in the way. Defensiveness creeps in. The other person might not want to hear it, or you might not get the chance to say it fully.

A letter gives you space to be honest without being interrupted. To take full responsibility. To say what needs to be said without expecting anything in return.

You might not get forgiveness. That's not the point. The point is to stop carrying what you've been carrying.

3. The Love Letter

Not the grand romantic gesture kind (though those are good too). The quieter kind.

Write to someone you love and tell them why. Be specific. Tell them what you notice about them that no one else seems to see. Tell them about the small moments that mattered. Tell them what your life would be missing without them in it.

We assume the people we love know how we feel. But research from the American Psychological Association shows that expressing affection explicitly strengthens bonds in ways that assumed affection cannot.

Some letters are for grand occasions. This one is for Tuesday. For no reason except that they matter.

4. The Letter to Your Younger Self

This one you'll never send. That's okay. It's not for sending.

Write to yourself at a difficult age. Maybe it's middle school you, when you felt invisible. College you, when you weren't sure you belonged. Twenty-five-year-old you, drowning in decisions.

Tell them what you wish you'd known. Tell them it gets better (or different, or more manageable). Tell them what they got right. Tell them what they worried about that didn't matter.

This letter isn't just for that younger version of you. It's for now. For seeing how far you've come. For recognizing that the person you were deserved more compassion than you gave them at the time.

5. The Letter You're Scared to Write

You know which one.

The letter to the person you miss but haven't talked to in years. The letter to your parent saying what you've never been able to say out loud. The letter telling someone you love them. The letter asking for help. The letter admitting you were wrong.

Whatever letter makes your stomach tighten when you think about writing it—that's the one.

You don't have to send it. But you should write it. Because the act of writing it, of putting into words what you've been avoiding, changes something. It makes the fear smaller. The feeling clearer. The next step, whatever it is, more possible.

And maybe, just maybe, you'll send it. And it will matter more than you can imagine right now.

Start With One

You don't have to write all five today. You don't have to write all five this year. But pick one. The one that pulls at you. The one you keep thinking about.

Get some paper. Find a pen. Sit down when you have time to think.

And write the letter you need to write.