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送给亲爱的自己
送给亲爱的自己 hello，是我。你现在已经高考完了吧。不管考的怎么样。请享受好这个暑假吧。 好像有很多问题想问你，现在的朋友还是那些人吗，有没有认真学习，后面有没有新的喜欢的人，有没有谈一场恋爱。无论怎样，请不要怪罪自己，少内耗。我知道自己是一个非常乐观的人。我的少女时代是
3013449582
2025.10.26
写给未来的…
亲爱的丁小朋友 嘿嘿，没想到吧，我会在这个时间给你写信呢，我就说嘛我也不笨啊，我也知道一些有意义的事情。所以不管现在如何，你都要承认我很聪明。 你看到这个应该是八年之后了，天啊八年真的好长好长好长啊，不知道我们现在怎么样了，是不是在一起很幸福了，如果还在一起的话应该结婚了
n7621
2021.12.21
给一年后的你
How are you now ?Would you still remenber the goal that you have achieved in this year?Do you still worry about your body's herlthy?Do you s
徐一
2017.03.11
给未来的一封信
给2034年的木子女士： 你好呀！哈哈哈哈，我相信收到这封信时你肯定很蒙圈，凭借我对你的了解你肯定忘了自己十年前写过的这封信叭。 当前时间是2024年9月19日早上08:45，目前截止毕业已经整整3个月了，过去的几个月中你一直忙于各地应聘，粗略计算已经6、7家医院了，但.
李婵
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一年前的现在，你很迷茫
高中的时候，你喜欢抑制自己的感情，你不敢谈恋爱，不敢做一些影响学习的事情，但是后来你才明白，其实有没有谈恋爱，跟学习是没有很大关联的。大学之后，你认识了几个有好感的男生，第一个是军训的时候认识的，你很羞涩，羞涩到几乎是做作的程度，后来你把自己扼杀在摇篮里了。第二个是在足协
223
2013.04.19
21岁的自己，生日快乐
廿一岁的自己： 你好！今天是你的生日，首先祝你生日快乐。时光倥偬，距离曾经的高考过去有两年了，距离高一的懵懂无知已经五年了，距离初三时的热血已经六年了，你认为你长大了没有。我们总想着自己就是一个大人了，可是我们又一无所有，却整天妄想着整个宇宙。自己失去了太多，也后悔
白泽子
2019.02.24
你好，23岁的小女人。
你好，一年后的小女人。那时候你的模样估计和现在差不多吧，谁叫你家人都是这样的长法。那时候的你，估计工作已经2年了，存款是不是够自己任性的辞掉工作去潇洒一番了呢？那时候的你，身体还如现在一样不好吗？内外都需要调理的女汉子。那时候的你，是不是感谢如今的选择，来到合肥，选择这个工作？不
乔小姐
2015.09.20
希望吴枫先生打开看看
不知先生是否还记得我你的初恋苏汐茗这是小女子在2020写下的一封信也不知先生是否想念过我今天呐小女子将进入高考的考场这两年很努力只为了能与先生同一个城市我们于2020.04.26没有了故事不知先生是否遗憾呢我那时候吖还以为先生不爱我了使劲的作.其实先生那时候还是在乎的.但我并不知
星河
2020.11.28
念旧。
别理会他们。 你知道我说的是什么。 所有的流言蜚语都会随着时间而消失。揭开你的伤疤，否则你永不知道它是否已经愈合。 他不值得你对他那么好，真的不值得。 那只是年少轻狂，结局却不是胜者为王。你瞧，他连怜悯也不肯给你。 宣扬得人尽皆知，你不得不低下你高贵的头颅。 这
念旧
2015.12.25
梁苑彤亲启
乱乱乱，自相矛盾，前后颠倒，本末倒置，这个药多吃点能不能增强效果，我想恨你，可是一切都是因我而起，你现在对我所做的都是我计划好的，我算无遗策，连自己都破不了题，我亲手把你赶走，有什么理由反悔。恨你就是恨自己，我不被任何人需要，多余，多余。我在你眼里什么都不是。呵呵。求仁得仁，求仁
放着慢慢想
2015.12.24
猪猪猪猪
有没有觉得最近的我很奇怪，作作的，说话气人 我也不知道我怎么了，每天看起来太开心了，其实有好多难过的事，为什么总是不说呢，可能是觉得没有人可以帮得了我吧 发现其实我根本没话跟你讲，什么都聊不起来，你做你的我做我的，该在一起闹一下就闹一下。好像没有互相
又又
2018.01.06
生日快乐
突然想起20岁生日那天中午，在新叶幼儿园午休的时间，收到了自己17岁时写给自己的信。当时真的很有感触…… 现在一晃都22了。未来还是一片迷茫，我看不清我的事业，看不清我的感情。我对未来充满期待，也充满恐惧。我不知道，当你收到这封信的时候，正在做着一份怎样的工作，是依然在上海做夜场
萌阿萌
2018.01.12
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