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心跳莫名很快，你来找我了吗
已经是新年了。你过来找我了吗？已经过去两年了。你过来找我了吗？你已经不爱我了，我所做的任何事情对你来说都没有任何意义。我和你的恋爱当中，只剩下我一个人了。我做梦会梦见你，我昨天晚上做梦，梦见我给你生了一个宝宝，我在梦里忘记看那个宝宝的性别，我只知道我给他喂奶。你现在已经结婚了吧，你有宝宝了吗？你和我
Ruru
Jun 2, 2017 · Traveled 1 year 6 months
写给一年后的自己
他不是突然闯进我生活中的，但他于我仍是一个突然的意外，因为我是突然发现自己喜欢他的。我很清楚是我的笨拙和冲动搞砸了这一切，也很清楚他只是不喜欢我。我所隐藏的自卑在这一刻被放大了无数倍，多年来的骄傲也被这阵飓风使得崩溃瓦解。憋了好久，没憋住 实在是崩不住了，躲房间关门哭了一泡，自我感觉没哭够。回头还得
程诗艺
Jun 4, 2017 · Traveled 1 year
Ruru,你现在怎么样了
你今天打电话给爸爸了，你哭了。爸爸和你说了很多。你什么时候不难过的五年了，你现在怎么样了？看到信的时候，记得回信哦。你哭了好多好多，你眼泪真多。时间过去很久了，你还记得昨晚和他说的话吗？你半夜和妈妈哭，妈妈安慰你。今天下雨了，你站在阳台，看着窗外的雨水，觉得冷。你好好的，照顾好自己。你现在还能回想起
Ruru
Jun 5, 2017 · Traveled 5 years
写给一年后的你
dear sylvia希望你活过了这一年，也活好了这一年。又是一年他的生日。想说一下现在，你处在很不爽当中。你不敢看他的社交媒体，不敢知道他和他们又去了哪里玩拍了什么照片，你嫉妒到不行。又只能幼稚的暗暗诅咒“女人你为什么还不滚回去结婚”。你不想知道他过的太好，又不希望他过得不好。你害怕他有什么不告诉
nineyuan
Jun 7, 2017 · Traveled 1 year
你过的快乐吗！
三年过去了，你结婚了吗？一切都好吗？我现在很焦虑，很难过，很孤独！祝你一切安好！
n2105
Jun 8, 2017 · Traveled 3 years
王翠花 还记得我是谁不
这个时候你应该要毕业了 不知道你和你师傅有没有在一起 最后有没有结果 也不知道这3年年有没有找男朋友哈哈哈 我是房振凌 不知道你还记得不 不知道我们两个还有没有联系 3年了 对吧 算过来我们也是认识10年的老朋友了 谢谢你在我和佳环分手的这段时间一直还陪着我 即使我是不好的一个人 写这个东西写的略微
不娶到崔佳环不改名
Jun 11, 2017 · Traveled 3 years
未来的赵成
亲爱的赵成，你好，我是一年前的你，我曾几次想鼓起勇气写一封未来的信给你，可是我不敢，因为现在的我不开心，甚至迷茫，我害怕现在的你不开心，现在的你开心吗？还记得今天吗？为什么要写下这封信吗？是的，因为打击和离开，在这里我不想再对我们之间的事浪费篇幅，因为如果你现在有了新的人那么没必要在想起他，如果还没
sunny
Jun 13, 2017 · Traveled 1 year
写给未来的…
2016年11月29号，他的生日，也算是跟他正式分手的日子。2017年6月30日，他在微信晒出来婚纱照，我才真是感到分手的心痛，以后他对我的好就都会变成对那个女人。我也该想着重新开始了，他没什么好，希望以后不会后悔我当初的选择。
蔚蓝天空有点灰
Jul 15, 2017 · Traveled 1 year
给现在的你&未来的我@6.zxm.
你&悟空——逗比派来的猴子花果山今年又是颗粒无收，这是第几年了啊。这还是我们当年的花果山吗？胜佛，大圣，猴王，悟空，臭猴子，你去了哪里？我们不知道你现在的名字，但不管你叫什么，我们都会一直呼喊你的名字。快回来吧，兄弟，快想起来吧，兄弟，我们已经承受不来，你最爱的花果山，我们最爱的花果山，我们的家，兄
寒露贤婿
Jul 24, 2017 · Traveled 1 day
Photo letter
打起精神
小成成，生活很苦吧，但是你要加油啊，
n2224
Jul 25, 2017 · Traveled 3 years
Photo letter
写给安静又活跃的自己
你现在开不开心啊，我是六个月以前的你，我现在很复杂的，我想组cp，和XLAI，可是他的想法是什么啊，我不知道，现在的你呢，还单着吗？如果单着的话也没有关系，单身自由万岁吗，现在狼人杀玩的怎么样啊，和兔子的关系如何？跟喜欢的人关系有没有更进一步？为什么我一直都在追随着他的脚步，可是好像还差一点没有跟上
肉肉西施
Sep 20, 2017 · Traveled 6 months
＜第52天＞
和我妈吵架了 一个人跑了出来这是不成熟吗 我就是想出来哭一哭啊 当我妈面哭岂不是很没有出息 可我真的想哭诶 憋不住了 我真的挺爱他们的 我也知道他们爱我 但是有时候怎么就要暴躁 发脾气呢 外面真冷 15度 钱包带了 耳机带了 失策的是没穿厚“妈妈，我居然爱上了他，哎....”生日快乐，我很丧，可我还
一只不咬人的文子
Oct 7, 2017 · Traveled 1 month 5 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