When It Hurts, Write to the You Who Made It Through
Some kinds of pain are hard to hand to anyone. Telling friends feels like being a burden; telling family means making them worry; posting it online is too exposed. So it stays lodged in your chest, replaying at 2 a.m., getting heavier each time. Writing it down is one of the most consistently proven ways to loosen that knot — and writing it to your future self adds something more: a quiet assumption, built right into the envelope, that a day will come when you're out the other side, calm enough to read this. People have written here on the night of a breakup, in the week they were laid off, from a hospital bed, and after losing someone they couldn't imagine losing. Most of these letters were sealed in tears. But opened a year later, nearly all of them say the same thing back: you made it through. Below are letters their writers chose to make public — because they wanted whoever is hurting right now to know this road has been walked before, all the way to the other end.
How to write this letter
- Don't compose — pour. The hurt, the anger, the fear, exactly as they are. This letter has no other reader; it doesn't need to be presentable.
- Write down what actually happened. The pain will fade, but what you went through deserves to be remembered truthfully.
- Give future-you one small, gentle assignment: eat at that hotpot place for me. Get a full night's sleep for me.
- If someone is being kind to you right now, put them in the letter. When you're through this, remember to thank them.
Real letters from the vault
733 public letters来自2025的时光邮件
亲爱的自己，抱抱你。现在是2025年3月28号的凌晨2:27，GAP这一年真是熬了以前几年熬夜的量，可能深夜就是容易emo吧。今天读到26岁那年写给27岁自己的信，百感交集。原来34岁的我，除了脸上有摆脱不掉的沧桑感，心里还是那个没长大的小孩。那时候对工作，前途的想象都是发着光的
清清不爱吃冰棍
2025.03.28
二十年过去，该忘的都忘干净了吗，生活一切如意吗
你和千惠这二十年还算风调雨顺吗？你们抵达理想的彼岸过上幸福美满的生活了吗？来看看为千惠删掉的给薄情人未发出的信件吧，就是让你怀念一下当年的文笔而已。 "只能看着回忆，随着时间凋零，直到你想不起，曾经还有个我。"从心底抱着星点希望默默期盼重新交会的那一刻太久了，穿越十年的伤痛，也许
Jang_Hosea
2017.04.23
悼念死去的爱情
悼念死去的爱情这是我们曾经走过的路，现在已经踏上了你我各自前途未卜的未来，我还在想你曾经说过的话，视线慢慢覆盖那些曾经，飞鸟开始慢慢歌唱，潮水慢慢漫过忧伤，没有出声，终于散场。一直想写一篇日志来悼念我死去的爱情，因为在此后我将不再写关于他的任何悲伤文字，不再为他发难过的心情。从此
非你杯茶
2013.09.20
廖怡然 于2018.9.15
发送于 2018年9月15日白惨的灯光还未熄灭，白惨的房门与白惨的门框咬着。床占了房间，房间是吞了象的蟒蛇腹，逼仄得无法呼吸。我挤着床墙间的缝隙急促狂躁地步行，我的心脏——被夺取了氧气，萎缩成凄惨的干涩。是案牍压着吧，明朗清晰的书堆，在痛苦里是模糊而尖锐的。是别的什么吧，
n3424
2018.09.14
Write to myself----- no aim
Dear myself： Suddenly found this website, listened from an uncle, he said i should write somethig to myself, which including my future, m
Elena饬樱
2017.04.06
一年后的小张 你好吗
亲爱的小张，一年后的你，还好吗? 首先，祝你生日快乐呀，新的一岁，要开心呀一定！ 这一年，是否过得有意义和价值呀?你......忘记刘琦了没有。 你知道吗现在的我好痛苦，事情已经过去了46天了，已经把想说的都说出去了，可是依旧没有任何的结果，
张紫颖
2024.07.15
To：梅花十三
亲爱的小雅：久违芝宇，时切遐思！ 一转眼就是2025年啦，圣诞节也要到啦，这封信不会打扰到你吧，反正你也不一定会看啦......虽然但是，还是祝你圣诞快乐，跨年快乐啦！天天开心，岁岁平安！ 本来想给你写一份手写信的，但意外来总是比计划快些，我的手骨折了，撕脱性骨折+手腕脱位
15970835451
2024.12.24
给未来的你 -Wxp.秀
寄给未来亲爱的你： 阿秀，哦，不对，吴熙萍。 这个时候的你还好么？ 会不会还是在玩着电脑看着最新的新番动漫呢，又或者是在听歌打小说聊天呢？ 这是个很好的网站，让我可以给未来的你寄一封信。这封信我不知道会让未来的自己，也就是你
俊硕
2013.03.23
再见了陌生人
今天是七夕，收到这封邮件的时候应该是12.18号了吧，不知道你还会不会看到。如果你愿意看这封信，希望也不要在情感上激起任何涟漪，我也是平静地写下，所有的话且听一笑。毕竟过了这么久，如果可能看到我，就完全不是认识的人了。毕竟再见了陌生人。昨天看到了你的邮件，就这么再见了，我不后悔。
ixiaocang
2025.08.29
再见了陌生人
今天是七夕，收到这封邮件的时候应该是12.18号了吧，不知道你还会不会看到。如果你愿意看这封信，希望也不要在情感上激起任何涟漪，我也是平静地写下，所有的话且听一笑。毕竟过了这么久，如果可能看到我，就完全不是认识的人了。毕竟再见了陌生人。昨天看到了你的邮件，就这么再见了，我不后悔。
ixiaocang
2025.08.29
给臭屁孩的告别
亲爱的，这不是和你说告别，而是我和你说感谢，谢谢你出现在我的世界里，带给我快乐，谢谢你爱过我，并接受我的爱，谢谢你留下回忆，我会一辈子好好珍藏，还有更重要的是，谢谢你让我知道，我终有一天能放手让你离去，我爱你耿云颖，最后很抱歉没能和你好好说一句“对不起”，没有当你面说一句“我爱你
2320249901
2025.05.21
我想安安静静的
我没选择去体检，诸多原因，估计去了也会被刷吧，这件事让我第一次体会到了什么是梦想，还有梦想破灭的痛楚，我在前院一个人哭了好长时间，那种按捺不住的压抑的无人理解的心痛。这对我来说肯定是意味着什么的，但是我说不太清楚，但也有可能仅仅是从小到大爸爸灌
KiddingFish
2015.09.12
Frequently Asked Questions
Will anyone else be able to read this?
No. Letters are private by default — only you, on delivery day, can open it. Going public is entirely your choice; every letter on this page was shared deliberately by its writer.
Does writing it down actually help?
Expressive writing has a substantial body of psychology research behind it. Many users describe the moment they hit "seal" as physically handing over part of the weight.
What if, a year from now, I don't want to be reminded?
All that arrives is a notification — whether you open the letter, and when, is up to you. For what it's worth, most people report reading theirs with a smile.
What if things feel really serious right now?
A letter can keep you company, but it's no substitute for professional help. If what you're feeling is affecting your daily life, please reach out to a counselor or a mental health helpline where you live.
When It Hurts, Write to the You Who Made It Through
Write yours