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.
Ideas to get you started
- 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
615 public letters嘿，收信啦，五年前的younger王国瑜来的信
亲爱的王国瑜：你还好吗？明天就是你30岁的生日了，这是一封来自五年前的信，写信的是五年前的你自己。五年前的你在中国人民大学的图书馆三层，你常坐的263号位置上写下了这样的一封信。这是北京的冬天，窗外很寒冷，可室内却温暖舒适，阳光直直的照在了桌上，晒在了你正在看的《合同法学的新发展》那本书上，这个时候
瑜flyingfish
Jan 11, 2016 · Traveled 6 years
空水瓶
最近，你总是会想到一个问题，究竟喜欢和爱的区别是什么。跟年龄有多大关系。你和他在一起近三年，是2011年11月16日开始的。他们说，你们还小，那只是喜欢，现在放不下的也只是回忆。是吗，那样的叫做喜欢。那我这样的呢那些过往中的温存缠绵暂且不提。可是分开一年多了，真的。我很清楚他是个渣男，我也不可能再愿
n1350
Feb 9, 2016 · Traveled 4 years 3 months
给你的
无论如何，你已经huibuqu回不去了，suoyi所以xion兄弟,nizhineng你只能mianxiang面向weilai未来,huozhe或者shi是hanzhe含着泪水,nidouyao你都要zhan战胜ziji自己,shixian实现nide你的meng梦,wulun无论jieguozen
n1362
Feb 13, 2016 · Traveled 1 month
写给未来的…
多爱自己一些，别傻，乖，摸摸，都会过去的。:)
时光沙漏
Feb 14, 2016 · Traveled 1 day
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，眼泪忍不住啪啦啪啦的
咕噜
Feb 28, 2016 · Traveled 6 months 29 days
加油
相信自己，你可以的！！！ 没有什么过不去的坎，你需要做的，只是，爱上它，并且不断前进。
n1322
Mar 11, 2016 · Traveled 1 day
又是一个两年呢
时间又过去了两年呢～未来的我，你还好吗？上一次给你写信的时候还感觉很幼稚呢，在大学里过着没心没肺的生活，现在已经走出了社会了，仿佛也就是那么一刹那。我依旧喜欢白天做梦，夜晚思考。要知道，习惯了一个人，是很难改变过来的。她离开我已经三年了，三年其实很长呢，长到我快忘记了她。不过你相信我，再也不贱不是说
唐玮已然玩不拢
Mar 20, 2016 · Traveled 2 years
你还好吗
现在是凌晨4点，你一无所有，没有梦想，没有目标，没有动力，浑浑噩噩，现在的你有在努力工作吗，你拥有理想了吗 2016年3月29日
Zz
Mar 29, 2016 · Traveled 2 years
你，还好吗？
还记得一年前吗？那撕心裂肺的痛。她的背叛让我在这伤心的地方哭过了无数个日夜，已经不敢再停留片刻，也再哭不出来了。她宁愿被别人一次次的玩弄，也不愿看一眼我的真心。后来有没有给她打过电话了，想说的还是那一句。没关系，我在，就算全世界抛弃了你，你还有我。想听到的也不是你说一句对不起，而是在一起，从心底里说
忆零
Apr 1, 2016 · Traveled 9 months 30 days
啊
现在很是困苦，爱情何去何从，事业在什么方向？不知道该怎么办。。。在云南，有点儿待不下去了我该怎么办倩洁天天跟我生气，什么事都不给我说我快郁闷死了现在还在旅舍这里待着，赚不到钱我跟倩洁该怎么办？她很好，就是太消极，跟她在一起久了怕是要疯掉我还是舍不得离开真心舍不得
n1414
Apr 1, 2016 · Traveled 10 years
20岁的自己，你还好吗
嗨，你还好吗。20岁的自己，在理想的大学念书吗，有没有乖，有没有过的快乐。我很想你，我是18岁的自己。我现在很不开心呢，抑郁啊，而且学习不给力，你要好好加油哦
钟子玘
Apr 3, 2016 · Traveled 2 years
4-17日常记录
不记得第几次在时光邮局写信了，心血来潮想要说点什么。这次的送达时间实在一周之后，那个时候的你应该已经开始拔牙或者什么的，开启整牙的第一步。啊，想想真的很美好啊，整完牙之后你将会变得更好看吧，至少会更加自信。今天的你很晚才起床，起来之后看了一部电影，睡觉，写作业，日常，很平淡的一天。等会还有一篇文章要
黎清
Apr 17, 2016 · Traveled 7 days
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