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
20y 简体中文

这是我可能最后一封信感谢感谢

老实说我觉得我自己很不幸,有很幸运,有幸身边有一群宽容的朋友,不幸的是自己的懒惰和内向已经造成了很多不可预计的后果,比如不喜欢社交,现在严重怀疑以后能不能交到女朋友,身体感觉也不好不喜欢锻炼,有很多原因:我有遗传的狐臭,老妈说以后到大学在做手术,可现在都大学两年了,听说手术也很容

mila 2018.06.28
元旦快乐
Delivered
简体中文

元旦快乐

       元旦快乐,我这样对你说。       今天阳光正好,可是还是一样的冷,所以我选择了窝在被窝里上网,本来想着买一件衣服,可是怎么也找不着最想买的,也许就像找男朋友一样吧。       昨晚三点多才睡着,并不是失眠,只是不想睡,想起了谢琦。不知道怎么回事,好像隔段时间就

没安全感的疯疯疯子 2015.12.06
11mo 简体中文

白发和黄发

今天晚上我在镜子面前闻我新买的葡萄味🍇的香皂🧼。突然发现头顶有一根白色的明晃晃的头发,我放下手里的香皂对着镜子想把它理出来,轻轻一拔就下来了,一点也不疼。我盯着这根头发,确实是白色的,是从顶部开始泛白下面还是原本的黑发。下一秒我又在我的头上看到了一根顶部是黄色的头发。我依然拔了下

2750552477 2025.10.27
给未来的陈诚
Delivered
简体中文

给未来的陈诚

元旦快乐 对 因为是元旦给你写的信 很想给你手写 但是原因… 昨天 2016的最后一天 咱俩彻底玩完了 我很清楚的是我作的 毕竟我最大的缺点就是口是心非  也是 正好证明你确实不懂我 但是一觉醒来 我发现我不想醒来不想去面对新的一天 就在现在 我很饿也很想你 这些你都不会知道 之

刘希希 2017.01.01
Delivered 简体中文

写给未来的王莎

今天是3月24日,天气特别好。昨晚聚会,玩得太晚,今天就没有回去,在家里窝了一天。你回肖港了,不知道跟爸妈的关系缓和了一些没,血浓于水,这个我倒不担心。从西藏回来,你心情还是很低落,甚至是更低落。我也不知道还可以做些什么,看着很心疼,甚是无力。其实,我自己也没找准自己的状态。想去

n2740 2018.03.24
Delivered 简体中文

关于人生的思考

我一直在想一个问题人是否真实存在我觉得我的人生就是一个游戏世界,我所遇上的每一个人,过去或是未来要做的每一件事都是一个固定的剧情剧本。如果事实真的是这样的话,那么我真的存在吗?假设我的推测是真实的,我现在写的这段感受也是在控制系统的预测之中,毕竟我没有办法脱离这个世界去完成许多东

雎明煜 2021.03.29
3y 简体中文

这是一封来自2025年的定时邮件

哈哈,看我找到了什么 我又找到了这个给未来发邮件的网站,时间设为三年后吧。 分手之后我总觉得缺一个正式的告别。其实就是放不下,但是我很好面子,我说不出口。 你上个月提分手的时候,其实我觉得你是在闹,你会回来找我的。很显然,没有。 我写这些不是为了让你内疚,也不是要你道歉,更像是我

572255129 2025.05.09
给10年后的自己
10y
简体中文

给10年后的自己

  现在过的怎么样了,还是说没有活到10年后,不管怎么都可以,做好你自己。   也不知道说点什么了,总之我现在的生活情况你也懂,每天颓废的活着。   宛如行尸走肉一般,可以说是一个彻彻底底的卢瑟,未来该怎么过,好迷茫啊,好痛苦啊,好像一死了之啊,但是又有太多虚拟世界的东西让我留

人生败家 2017.07.20
Delivered 简体中文

给一年后的我

此刻是2021年12月19日晚上18:27。很冷。我在自己的房间里,开了空调。今年——2021年——我很不好。上海辞职回来后,这三年一直郁郁寡欢。8月初,我被在一起快一年、真心对待的天蝎男甩了。好几个月没缓过来。11月底,开车路上突然心绞痛,幸好自己叫了救护车。接着大半个月都胸闷

sqy飞 2021.12.19
Delivered 简体中文

执念太深

     大概你都想不到吧!这已经是你喜欢他的第四个年头了。每个人都以为你不爱了的时候,其实你还在夜里痛哭。       我想你是难过的,是不得不向现实屈服的难过;是夜里绝望的呜咽着“我不能再想你了”的难过;是假装放弃了的难过……       昨天我又梦到伯贤了,你说有没有可能

wuli纯纯的巧克力牛奶 2019.01.14
Delivered 简体中文

熬过去了吗

硕啊,熬过去了吗,朋友的背叛和所有的打击,一个人走了吗?独立了吗?爽吗?天将降大任于斯人也,必先劳其筋骨,饿其体肤,空乏其身,行拂乱其所谓,所以动心忍性,增益其所不能。所以啊,别人还在单纯的投靠朋友的时候,你已经靠自己了,加油啊,为了你和陈紫奥的以后,不要把太多的感情放在朋友身上

源来是王嘟嘟 2019.12.01
Delivered 简体中文

i'm waiting

 赵文武,两年前的同一天写下这封信,是想作为爱过你的凭证,我怕到时候再也找不到爱过你的痕迹。  我喜欢你已经有一年多了,从见到你到喜欢你仅仅几天的时间,对你有好感,是因为刚到你家,你很勤劳呀,对你的看法也发生了改变,对你有了不该有的想法可能是那个笑吧,挺暖的,期间的很多瞬间我也

n6707 2021.02.17

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

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