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是时候让种子萌发了
Hi： 好吧，看到这封信是是否想起了什么？记得写下这封信的动机？如今的你已踏入社会，是否找到了自己的位置？或者默默无闻，在社会的大流中被淹没，这不重要了。我只是想提醒你，不要忘记这颗冬眠的种子，不要忘记对音乐的期待，学习什么时候都不会晚，是时候弹起心中的钢琴。What？工资太低时间太紧？抛开这些借口
n1439
Apr 20, 2016 · Traveled 8 years 11 months
傻逼哎
哎傻逼 今天是公历四月二十四日你收到那天是五月13日 我不想写了我现在非常不开心刚才写了满满一页一不小心没有了 没有了就是没有了所以你不可能再见到和那封相同的了哼所以你永远见不到它了现在写的又算是另一个了就像有些东西失去了就是失去了 这算是我给第三个人写的吧？第一个当然是宗宁第二个大概是丁欣不过当时
瑾色长安i
Apr 24, 2016 · Traveled 19 days
写给未来的…自己
我现在没有了那些患得患失的感觉了吧。是的，没收到玫瑰花，（免费的）也没关系了吧，不跟陈胜联系也没有关系了是吗？是的，我把自己爱好了，不再等待谁来爱了。曾经，我的努力和优秀是为了跟人匹配，但是我足够努力了，我有自身价值的存在，不要把自己随便放到缺爱的位子上了。跟曾经的我不同了，2016是个好年，安琪发
安琪
May 17, 2016 · Traveled 1 month
写给未来的…
你还好吗？ 也许10年后的我并不是特别特别的优秀，在北方的一个小城市里，安安静静，平平凡凡地过着自己的小生活。没有喧嚣，没有眼泪，每天充实地活着。 或许我会在没人的时候，偶尔想起那些微疼的青春，不悲伤，不
YYYYYYYYYY
Jun 17, 2016 · Traveled 10 years
…
我梦想的未来，不必为钱和感情烦恼，有一个为画画而活的工作，画自己所想所爱的，有一个温暖的家，丈夫和孩子，然后在房子里挂满我的画，，身边有我爱的人和爱我的人，做的所有事都是自己喜欢的，不再有不舍得却必须割舍的东西，不再有忘不了却永远不可能的人，爱了就在一起，讨厌了就抛弃，不用再把想说的话藏起来，小号也
lizzzzzz
Jun 23, 2016 · Traveled 1 year
写给未来的…
亲爱的自己，此时此刻你正在做什么呢？身边有没有人给你庆祝生日呢，我想你应该有工作吧，在奋斗吧。如果此时的你正处于低谷，请不要气馁，继续加油努力，也许我还是没男朋友，but so what?我还是可以放声大笑，好好生活，相信一切都会好起来的。
一只在彷徨中奋斗的猪
Jul 25, 2016 · Traveled 3 years 9 months
宁愿忙忙碌碌碌碌无为 莫问前程
其实此刻心底是有些许悲凉的 总是渴求一些难以拥有的东西 偏偏我又是那么急于求成急功近利 我迫切渴望得到 然而更可悲的是 我一直渴望拥有的东西 在我触手可及的时候却因为我的三分钟热度 在连门槛都没能跨过的时候 掩埋在时光里 我想我又有了我想追求的事物 这次我想专一的用心的坚持不懈的 克服那些困境 宁愿
詹佳莹Vera
Aug 16, 2016 · Traveled 3 months
自己看吧，傻逼。
钱，我是来强调这一个字的，辉辉回家坐飞机，我回家连坐高铁都嫌贵。别人上班开车，我连驾照都没有。别人夏天有空调，我只有电风扇。别人冬天有暖气，我只有电褥子。别了小长假可以出去旅游，我却只能找一个花钱少的地方待着。为什么马明月不喜欢你，为什么尹瑞莹看不上你，真的不是因为你长的丑。。。。。找人网友给你介绍
n1635
Aug 19, 2016 · Traveled 5 months 13 days
致你.
今天突然想写这封信给你.三个月的时间不短不长给自己刚好.记得阿如果有一天你摘下面具不要去讨厌那个你.或许是虚伪或许不真实.但记得阿在这个世界里她只是用自己的方法保护你.原来原来不是所有的笑话都会有人捧场.不是所有帮助都会换来回报.每个人都会戴着面具.对自己不喜欢的人笑.明明多不喜欢那个人却因为利益妥
一百个梦里
Sep 7, 2016 · Traveled 3 months
美女
过的怎么样了，有没有学会星星，有没有调整好自己的牙齿咬合，有没有喜欢的人，我现在很难过，在失眠，刚刚哭了一场，现在是凌晨12点30，每天看见阿姨低气压的脸，我好想好有钱，我现在想要一部电脑，过程很艰难，因为我欠了挺多钱，在家人面前我装作很有钱的样子，我真心一样这个时候你能够成为我喜欢的自己，能去蹦极
LHKLASW
Sep 18, 2016 · Traveled 1 month
Photo letter
蛋蛋想的起来我是谁不→_→哈哈
声明一下这是2016年10月2号寄来的信，那时候我们刚刚分手吧，我也刚刚到无锡，目标应该是赚钱了吧
こ胡胡呀
Oct 2, 2016 · Traveled 11 months 19 days
Photo letter
给未来的自己...
今天是2016年10月9号，又是一大早起来发呆，已经闲散了超过半年了，心很累，今天学到单链集合，一个礼拜前其实就学到这里了，停停整整又一个星期，好想抽自己啊，下决心是打算这个礼拜后就去面试，知道自己还差很多，也知道自己不是那种雄心壮志的人，只是努力活的好一点，打算闭关一个礼拜，一个礼拜。。SE，想想
用户6004815350
Oct 9, 2016 · Traveled 4 years
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