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写给邢同学
没有想到吧，我竟然会写信给你，或者说是写给我自己。两个多月过去了，所有人都在往前走，好像只有我停在过去了。我以前总觉得自己一定会忘记我们之间的事情，至少不会很在意吧，看来我还是高估了自己。原来真的旧的不去新的不来啊，原来真的会心痛啊，原来心理真的会反应在生理上。我不清楚我的难过和
似拟人的掌声啊
2021.03.07
来自...年前的时光邮件，请查收
dear ilya : happy birthday ,do u know what did u do today ??? u just told me :aww ,i wanna poop so bad .yup,you are just a little poop monst
桃花妖丶前世是唐三桃
2024.01.31
四月的“告白する”。
这封邮件来自『时光邮局』，你看到的时候，我已经写好了两个月了。 不知道这个时候你有没有听过我发的语音，我们还是不是还很和睦？我们是不是又闹了矛盾？是不是又删了好友？想到这些的时候，我已经开始注意和你相处了。 不知道为什么突然开始在意你这个美好的家伙，你在我心里更像是干净的
Romanticclassmates
2021.04.10
王友良。
你看到这个邮件的时候，该快十月了吧，你女朋友应该也已经毕业了吧。你们，会不会应该国庆，就结婚了呢。。。。想想真是心绞痛得厉害。。。写的时候，我还没走出来。今天去一个前段时间认识的朋友那里晒太阳，说来，很讽刺，他竟然住在你曾经住的那间房子隔壁，505，，，，到楼下已经难受，到门口，
咕噜
2016.02.28
一个月后
hi 香香，我不能再找你聊天了，这是我写给你的第三份信，我把它设置在一个月后。我决定不去找你了，虽然很难过但是我也不能老是活在过去了，我决定活在当下，这一个月我都干了些啥，有没有天天坚持跑步呢，说不定已经很瘦了哈哈。 你这一个月过的还好吗？应该是已经不会再想
2696221461
2025.03.07
无题
我之前以为这一天我会在一河北，跟你过着情人节，完了连场过两周年。。。。然而我其实已经失恋了，两个月前失恋了。一个人在马路上，并不想回家，天气非常冷。手指不是很灵活。鼻子酸溜溜的，眼睛也涩得疼。在这之前的昨天，我刚刚以为一切回来了，老爸给我打了电话，于是，闹了一架。这是我爸第二次给
咕噜
2015.12.18
亲爱的别放弃
亲爱的自己，你需要一个目标。你已经小小的了解了为目标去奋斗的路上并不觉得疲累，所以请你继续追赶。可以是一个城市，一所学校，一个人，或者是一个梦想。总之你需要它来鞭策你变成更好的人。在逐渐缩小距离的同时，再辛苦也觉得值得不是吗？亲爱的自己，未来的日子里请你管住自己。不上网并不会折寿
热爱我的热爱
2015.07.15
写给未来的…
hi ,还记得吗，一年前的今天你刚刚注册了这个有爱的小网站，然后你迫不及待的写了这封信。 今天，你无意看到了筷子的制作过程，晚上吃拉面的时候去楼下的小超市买了小叉子，并想着以后再也不用筷子吃饭了，你就是这么神经质。 现在在上海，一个人，每天过着三点一线的生活，你知道
丛
2013.03.22
给19的你
生日快乐 或许现在说生日快乐是早了一点 不知道最近的你怎么啦? 完全没有你在文采那种开朗 难道就是因为他的一句话你就这样子作践自己 你太傻了 他不珍惜你 那是他太傻了 你何必对一个傻子的话那么在意 过自己的生活 让他去羡慕珍惜好现在的 没
不是都觉得好
2013.04.26
给未来的一封信
未来的我，你好！光匆匆，恍惚间也过了许久，想必你现在一定会过得很好吧。毕竟你身边有那么多对你好、陪伴着你的人。他们对你的关心与帮助是十发浓厚的。你经历了那么多的事件，你也一定会收获到许多的经验，促使自己成长，丰富自己的人生阅历，充实你的精神世界，提高你的综合能力吧。成长，是每个人
n8312
2022.11.07
沛原你好，这是一份时空邮件
沛原：你好啊！不知道你还记不记得我啊，我猜应该大概可能已经忘记了吧。今天是4月7号，微博上说黑龙江已经开学了，再过不久你就要回到学校学习了，高三的日子很辛苦吧，是不是很累，压力很大啊。当你看到这份信笺的时候，已经结束了自己人生里重要可能又没有那么重要的一次挑战，所以很想对你说“毕
阿咩
2020.04.07
나에게 쓰는 편지-제2화*This is life.*
안녕.한주간 무엇을 했지?변한 모습으로 짠 하고 나타날려 했는데...그대로네.그건...얼마전 조류독감 비상사태가 터졌을때 하필이면 감기 걸려서...몸조리 하느라 아무것도 못했지...라고 변명하고싶지는 않다...... ...이젠 이런 위로같지 않은 위로
meinaSH
2013.04.09
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