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你要好好看完!!!!!!
小璇你好啊,好久不见啦,当你收到这封信的时候,我想我们已经分别了一百天,很抱歉我这样对你,我能看出你的生气,我也知道我这样做让我们连朋友都做不成了,可能你已经忘记我了吧,就像我说有天我也只是你过去轻描淡写的某一页,我并不重要,但是我现在好想你啊,网易云好友都不给我留,我想写一写我
等风来
亲爱的袁鹏翔:这是一封写给未来的自己的信。现在是北京时间2015年10月11日凌晨1:31,如果你已经忘记了这一刻的你为什么要写这封信,请你千万不要往下看。请你好好的生活下去。此时的你很难受,大概是16年来你最难受的一次,你已经不知道坐在床上胡思乱想些什么一个多小时了,你觉得世界
写给未来的自己
刚才本来已经写好了一封信,准备寄给五年后的自己,却不小心点没了,真是气死我了,这下要花时间重新写一次了。今天是2019年11月6日,我在上海大学嘉定校区6号宿舍楼的一楼自习室给你写下这封信,虽然明天要考试了,但是我想这件事可能比考试更重要,愿意花更多时间跟你在这罗嗦几句。未来的你
写给未来的自己
刚才本来已经写好了一封信,准备寄给五年后的自己,却不小心点没了,真是气死我了,这下要花时间重新写一次了。今天是2019年11月6日,我在上海大学嘉定校区6号宿舍楼的一楼自习室给你写下这封信,虽然明天要考试了,但是我想这件事可能比考试更重要,愿意花更多时间跟你在这罗嗦几句。未来的你
陈天赐的时光漂流瓶
写给未来的自己2陈天赐: 嘿。你还好吗? 你应该刚刚高考结束吧,祝你考个好成绩。我是少年时的你,或许你已经忘记了,今天我给未来的自己发邮件。我不知道你会不会因为换QQ或者什么原因看不见我给你发的邮件,但我真的希望你可以收到。 你知道吗,前一段的我遇见了烦心事,我喜欢了一个女
无
好久不见。 这封信写给你,也写给我自己。我们已经许久没有联系了,我知道你已经不愿再见,也或许已经开启了新的生活。请你放心:这封信不求挽回、不图回应,也不是打扰,而是我在经历很长一段自我剥离、重建之后,对你说的一句“谢谢”,也是对自己的一声“我懂了”。 我们在一起的那段时间,虽然不
写给未来的star0201
今天是2021年2月16日我记得我第一次见到你的时候是在公交车上 我刚刚放学做公交车去舞房 你离我好像只有3m近 我看到你和你旁边的同学在看我 我也有在看你 第一印象是觉得你长得挺可爱的 白白净净的一个男生 后面我们又阴差阳错的认识了 我发现我有点喜欢你 因为你在我看来很温柔很绅
写给未来的你
说实话,我很害怕写这样一封信给你,因为我现在还处在对过去挫折的一蹶不振和对未来的无限惶恐之中,我怕重蹈覆辙。为此,我生怕哪一步又做错了——跟曾用心相处了一年的朋友莫名其妙绝交,又计划在四月份的时候跟同样的人出去玩,又去了同一个地方坐在同一个图书馆学习,选择了继续全脱产
关于你的离开和存在
2年了。你有没有想我?每当我走在何处的时候,总会去听那一声声的犬吠; 每当我看到一只只萨摩耶,总会去抚摸,去把包包里的食物拿出来喂给他们;每当我回头的时候,总希望你在。人生最怕的无非是但是,一个转折,一个拐点,陪你走路的人走了,看你成长的人离别了。 但偏偏我们经历的最多的不是一
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。Wha
一路顺遂,奔向山海
今天是七夕,昨天收到了你的信“再见陌生人”,然后我平静的写了一封不雅的信,然后又翻到你前面一天的一封信“再见”。因为一直都在用电脑训练我的AI知识库,通宵了几天,所以没能注意到邮件。 看见了你8.27凌晨的信,又五味陈杂重新写了一封,忘掉了刚刚寄出的那封信(那封信是针对分手后的,
卢泫好啊
21年的冬天冷吗,月底来姨妈有肚子还是疼吗,有人在你身边了吗。这个我也不知道真的假的,不知道能不能送到你那边,不知道你会不会去看。现在是2020.11.30号,凌晨2:37分。还是很难过,睡不着的一天。我其实之前写过一封,定在了三年后,后面我觉得时间太久了,我等不到,世事无常,以
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