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亲爱的小孩，有没有幸福
今天突然收到了19年写的信，我靠，一晃这么多年了，其实现在我都没有去学画画，也没写小说，怨恨过父母，自卑过自己。我都高三毕业了，其实那时候写，克制了很多，现在想想，或许自己从来没有变，好胜，今年，离开了曾经的朋友，翻着以前的照片，讽刺，难过，后悔，都有吧，但我知道即便重来，我还是
朵朵要长高鸭
2024.08.01
tough time and I hope you have passed it
Dear FutureMe,I woke up this morning realized today is the due date for my social security payment and I checked my bank&alipay account and
n3462
2018.10.18
你会走出困境的
亲爱的Shirley,早！10年之前，5年之前，哪怕3年之前， 恐怕你都未曾想到，而今的你带着绝望与愧疚来写这封信。 那时的你，很爱笑，很天真。是的太天真，将时间浪费在没有意义的琐事跟没有意义的错误感情中，且一心关心父母的家庭，关心别人，活着活着，就忘记了自己，也没有分辨出来什么
shirley自言自语
2015.08.14
未来的我
未来的我，你好！今天是2013年3月14日，我是3月2号的一个周六到北京的。也就是说我已经在北京独自一人度过了十二个日子。每天都在为了找工作而奔波着，忙碌着。没有人说话，没有人安慰，每天都感觉眼睛酸酸的，心里也酸酸的。直到现在我才发现，原来人离家远了真的会想家，很想，很想……身边
茜茜公主
2013.03.21
以后的她
以后的她 您好！ 请原谅我的不善言辞，唇口之间的话却张口说不出口。 你现在过的好不好，你说未来会是怎样呀！未来究竟有多远呢，这一切的我们都不可而知，现在年少的我过的却很不好，经历
n6271
2020.12.24
我
我才十八岁，但已经记不到心动是什么感觉了。我自私，有时还很贪婪，曾经还怀疑过自己的性取向，心胸狭隘。当然，身边也有很多爱我的朋友和家人，但时常感觉不到他们的爱。我常常批判一些不道德的行为，但自己却也常常产生这些行为，我知道自己贪婪的样子有多难看，但意识到的时候多是为时已晚
MrShadow
2020.02.17
我
我才十八岁，但已经记不到心动是什么感觉了。我自私，有时还很贪婪，曾经还怀疑过自己的性取向，心胸狭隘。当然，身边也有很多爱我的朋友和家人，但时常感觉不到他们的爱。我常常批判一些不道德的行为，但自己却也常常产生这些行为，我知道自己贪婪的样子有多难看，但意识到的时候多是为时已晚
MrShadow
2020.02.17
你好未来的何荣
五年后也不知道你会不会还记得我，哈哈，五年前的今天，你不是官宣了嘛，祝你幸福哈。哈哈，终于我也放下了，好开心啊，现在我不会迷茫了，也不会怎么怎么样，我可以告诉你了，每个男孩谈恋爱都是馋你的身字，只是能不能走到最后而已。当你向前走了我为啥还要在原地。我也勇敢了一次。现在的你可能能明
n6760
2021.03.02
20130617
这真是一个奇怪的梗。这是今天晚上出现频率最高的话。 现在处在这个状态：等学长最后给的结果，并且不抱很多希望；还有半年就要考研了，却连书都没买下；心里静不下来，一直都很浮躁；如果说支教的时候想通了一些什么，那么如今已经算想得太多了；想得到的东西很多，却迟迟不行动，惰性
想换SurnameLee
2013.06.17
张鹏，你曾是我的小男
我的小男，2014年8月8日我们在一起，2015年11月14日我们分开！我都不知道原来自己可以记得这么清楚！这是一年前的今天我写给你的信，11月20日。不确定你是否能看到这封信，我也是情绪所致，估计过段时间都会后悔留下它。感谢你一年多对我悉心的照顾，对我无尽的疼爱，跟你谈恋爱很幸
小乔abc76
2015.11.20
当做是一封遗书吧
老实说我也不知道未来会是怎么样，虽然我还年轻，但有时我觉得自己已经狗熊迟暮，打不起精神，以前最喜欢有事没事说：力拔山兮气盖世，时不利兮骓不逝，想想又是多么可笑，在学校学习的生涯又何尝不是不是一个人生呢。我的人生之路应该不会结束，但学校的生涯应该快结束了 ，莫名想要说点什么，或许我
mila
2018.06.11
生而为人，我很抱歉。
时间回到去年那个夏天，佩服那个为了实现梦想而义无反顾的自己。那一年，终于实现了多年来未曾去实现的理想，去了一次上海，时间很短，但是也很充足，东方明珠，一大旧址，朵云书院，失恋博物馆等等。对于一个已经患有轻度抑郁的我来说。旅游真的比在家里窝着要好很多，虽然依旧无法说服自己，在工作和
思绪开始停留2412
2022.02.14
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