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宝贝
宝贝，你不要在意别人的目光，做自己最好了
n2594
Jan 25, 2018 · Traveled 6 days
你曾经想做的，做到了吗？
“不可能”这三个字，你说的太多了！配得上自己的梦想吗?还没开始就要放弃了吗?你这么怂比吗?你对得起谁?活下去,要站在最顶层望着那些曾经瞧不起你的人。抑郁症又怎么样？你没死，就别把自己当废物。麦当说过的话,都不记得了吗？“给我高高的飞起来啊！！！！”
n2616
Feb 2, 2018 · Traveled 2 months
我这个护草使者？
(｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ嗨: 你好，自己!这是我在2018年2月13号22：58写给你的信。此时你的内心是很矛盾的，说不清道不明，准确的说是五味陈杂。你和要好的朋友说：你失恋了，他们总回答你：从未开始，怎么算是失恋。是，没有开始，怎算失恋？你有时也会觉得自己荒唐可笑对吧？你是怎么喜欢上他的？这个好像真没有答
你在有海的地方
Feb 13, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
一路的雨
嗨，今天的你，很贪婪，给自己写了两封信。前面已经说过了，天气不好，有一种厚重的压抑感，可能大概和心情是有关的吧。你看了一会关于刘同的书，你静下来了，去翻阅着朋友圈，就这样一遍一遍，孤单而无助。你突然间鼻头一阵酸楚，放肆的哭了起来，好像关于他，却有一种无以言表的悲伤。很丢人吧吧，从北京一直哭到西安。到
你在有海的地方
Feb 14, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
你这个傻瓜
嗨，亲爱的自己： 今天是2018年02月15日，早晨8：35。被小七的叫声吵了起来，想来昨天，在高铁上，你哭了整整一路，引发了肚子痉挛，头也痛。你承认你自己没有出息，可能怎么办呢？突然想起2017年夏天的一个傍晚，你有些中暑，可是因为想一周以内真正见他一次，你还是按照约定去了。那时候，我带着妹妹，妹
你在有海的地方
Feb 15, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
下雨了
嗨，亲爱的自己： 那天是2018年2月14日，情人节，也是你回家日子。一路上，天气给人一种厚重的压抑感，也可能是和心情有关，总觉得一切显得有些冷冰冰的。 开始，为了缓解内心的痛苦，你读起了刘同的《你的孤独，虽败犹荣》，说实话，他的经历中，总能找到自己的影子。正如书中说到‘人的一生会遇见300万人，两
你在有海的地方
Feb 16, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
至40岁的我亲爱的你
亲爱的小亚：今天是你40岁的生日，我在3年前的2018年3月13日傍晚19点33分给你写下这封信，你还记得那时候的自己吗？那个你爱的男人，你们认识4年零8个月，马上领证4年的人，你以为会和他今生今世岁月静好的吃到老，玩到老的人，他喜欢上别人了，当你听到他说出口的时候，你听着那些那样无情的话语，你的心
蓝_小七
Mar 14, 2018 · Traveled 3 years
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。想去考研，可是没有动力；
n2740
Mar 24, 2018 · Traveled 7 months 4 days
你是不是未来的高某人
我忘记了你的所有联系方式，我是故意的，也是被迫的；也许你明白这种感觉，就像我喜欢你，又知道我们不合适那么矛盾。所以我也不知道，收到这封邮件的人会是谁，但我知道应该不是你。现在夜深人静，我想跟人说说话，因为我一整天都没出门，虽然天气好得出奇，朋友圈里桃花开得很旺盛。昨晚同学聚会，在隔壁邻居家里聊到了凌
n2741
Mar 25, 2018 · Traveled 1 day
你在哪里？
你在哪？我并不知道。但是我要做和死神赛跑，别放弃我的理想，拜托，一定要变强，你还记得此时的我的悲伤与愤怒么，变强，变强，变强！
zt
Mar 29, 2018 · Traveled 6 months
写给一个月后的自己
我是4月7日的段宇。昨天刚跟王向辉分手。现在在考研的旅途上还是有迷途。我不知道未来的你会怎么样。现在的我，很缺钱，没敢告诉爸妈。《鲨鱼记账》app里的账单很清晰。现在只剩3000多块钱了。想去找兼职工作，又想好好学习（自己又不好好学习）我现在的计划是，4月考科目二，5月考科目三希望你现在已经过了科目
dy2015678
Apr 7, 2018 · Traveled 1 month
郭智豪
今天是你喜欢的人删除你的第一天，不知道你现在还喜不喜欢她，你有女朋友了没哈哈
小豪
Apr 19, 2018 · Traveled 5 months 12 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