Kate Bosworth wrote a letter to her younger self for her 40th birthday

Kate Bosworth arrives at the L.A. premiere of 'Along for the Ride' at the Bay Theater Palisades Village on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) 

Kate Bosworth shared a letter she wrote to her younger self for her 40th birthday in which she advocates for embracing change.

"Change frightened you. You wished you could view the experience of change through the lens of adventure, but it has been difficult for you," she wrote. "Order and structure and planning and consistency felt safer. It still does, but you now understand that change is a fundamental law of the universe."

Bosworth continued, "Seasons change, stars explode, the earth shifts. Change is how you were made and change is how you will continue to grow."

The actress also told herself that the fear she has is often not based in truth, writing, "You are interested in examining the idea of fear. More often than not, fear is a narrative - a story you tell yourself - and those thoughts rarely hold much truth."

And ultimately, she wrote, after you face your fears, the "light illuminates the dark."

"Found that the more light you illuminate on fear - the turning over of it, the observation of it. The sitting with it and ultimately, the knowing of it. You have found, like many aspects of life, that light illuminates the dark," she wrote.

She didn't seem to mind the milestone birthday either, saying, "Some people say 40 is the new 20, but you really hope not. You hope 40 feels like 40. It took decades to earn this position."

Bosworth's boyfriend Justin Long commented on the post, writing, "This was even more beautiful and inspiring than I knew it would be. I cannot wait to read your book... and to walk into the next room and tell you how much I love you and how grateful I am to know you."

Long added, "To my younger self I'd say: 'keep dreaming of her because one day you'll have the chance to love her.'"