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Today, apps like TikTok and Instagram offer endless opportunities to create and share content that is both heartwarming and deeply moving. A new social media trend, which has taken the internet by storm, is doing just that through a moment of self-reflection. This proves that sometimes it just takes one post to change people’s lives.
According to MSN, the viral “I met my younger self for coffee” social media trend, which has taken over TikTok and Instagram Reels, mostly consists of overlaying text on current photos or videos. Through meaningful captions, participants reflect on how they've changed over time, drawing comparisons between their present-day self and a younger version.
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The trend kicks off with a sentence, like “I was early, she was 15 minutes late.” It then goes into what the person would order versus what their younger self would choose, and then into details about the conversations they’d have.
To make it even more emotional, the posts are accompanied by the moving song “Sweet Heat Lightning” by Gregory Alan Isakov. What makes this trend special is how it encourages participants to reflect on how much they’ve grown and changed over the years.
Personal Growth Through Social Media Reflection
For users including Guili or @puffy817, the heartfelt social media trend is providing them with an opportunity to look back and celebrate how far they’ve come. In her TikTok video, which captured 4.3 million views and over 370,000 likes, she is seen typing at a desk in a blazer, with text overlaid that reads:
“I met my younger self for coffee today. She showed up 15 minutes early; so did I. She ordered an iced caramel latte, I ordered an iced americano with honey. She wore athletic shorts and a big T-shirt, I wore a suit. She told me she wants to be a psychologist when she grows up so she can help people. I told her I went to law school and am a Public Defender. She told me her family of five still lives in an apartment; I told her I own a home and so do my mom and dad. She told me her dad's business is struggling, I told her my dad owns three businesses.”
In the caption below the video she wrote, “Why did this trend heal a little bit in me while I wrote it,” showing that self-reflection can go a long way.
Another user, @grovestrotting, took to instagram to share the importance of self-worth, being brave, and how she is now living the life of their dreams.
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The viral trend began after Poet Jennae Cecelia posted a photo of her poem titled “I met my younger self for coffee” from her upcoming book, Deep In My Feels, on Instagram.
If there’s one thing this viral trend inspires, it’s the importance of treating your younger self with empathy and kindness.
The Emotional Benefits of Self-Reflection
Self-reflection and having conversations with one’s younger self are nothing new. A study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, explored the impact of writing compassionately to one's past and future selves.
The study found that writing a letter to your past-self with compassion can boost your mood, especially when the focus is on an experience with friends, family, or acquaintances.
“Writing a letter to one's past self makes one feel positive,” Eriko Sugimori, the lead author of the paper and an associate professor at Waseda University, told Therapy Tips. So, whether you are writing a letter to your younger self or taking part in viral social media trends, taking time to reflect and celebrate your growth can be a powerful tool for personal healing.
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