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又是一个两年呢
时间又过去了两年呢～未来的我，你还好吗？上一次给你写信的时候还感觉很幼稚呢，在大学里过着没心没肺的生活，现在已经走出了社会了，仿佛也就是那么一刹那。我依旧喜欢白天做梦，夜晚思考。要知道，习惯了一个人，是很难改变过来的。她离开我已经三年了，三年其实很长呢，长到我快忘记了她。不过你相
唐玮已然玩不拢
2016.03.20
喂
走出来了么 有没有接受新的感情 只是想和你一起慢慢走 我们都相同 有坚持读书 写字 和跑步么？ 这封信是提醒你该出去走走了 只希望 你别将就 不要再为谁改变自己
こ胡胡呀
2016.12.23
如果命运，能够眷顾我们
提笔写这封信，心情真的很复杂。今天，应该是我这辈子过的最痛苦，最难过的一天，喝了一天的酒，什么都没有吃，到最后，吐出来的都是胆汁。从认识你的第一天起，从没想过，我们会纠缠到这么深的地步。从无望到绝望再到希望再到期望，这么波澜起伏，这段感情，与你，与我，都是段刻骨铭心的，永远不会忘
A
2015.10.13
还在坚持和努力吗
To myself: 今日送爷爷最后一程了，从火化都入葬。爷爷死于2013年3月21日凌晨4点多。你的右前臂，骨子里有爷爷的回忆。还记得08年那14天的住院吗？是爷爷陪伴我度过的。但爷爷入院后，我只去过看他一次。他说他咳嗽的时候很痛。没想到爷爷的病是这么地严重，三公说切了个肿
Jayin_Ton
2013.03.22
海绵宝宝 啊
最是人间留不住，朱颜辞镜花辞树看了王小波的一些书信合集，当然黄金时代三部曲是不错。但看起来就像《挪威的森林》。挪威还是国外的 理解起来有一种隔阂。不能体会那么微妙的东西，嗯也就是没有身临其境的感觉 ，对就这样。这种东西实在不敢看，看完了 直直的插进胸口 难受。太乱了，不知道怎么告
派大星的海绵宝宝
2019.11.03
写给未来的…
hey，这个时候的你应该已经把那些难熬的日子挺过去了吧？ 你妹的，是我这个一年前的你帮一年后的你挺过去的。 你的人生，应该再也没有像我这样难熬的日子了，最坏的情况应该就是像我现在这般如此了。有时候我真的不想熬下去了，真是煎熬。果真的祸不单行麽？女朋友跑了，还带着我的MONEY,
锐夜
2014.06.10
莫名的止不住
最近几天，情绪特别不好，在家里的时候，看到儿子会忍不住想要流眼泪，眼泪在眼眶里打转。看到你的时候，有点陌生，虽然自己难过的很想抱抱你，却淡淡的站在一边。或许你也看得出我的变化，大概率的也不能理解我吧连我自己都理解不了我自己。你爸妈来照顾儿子，打心底里，谢谢他们！对不起，因为生活习
n8471
2023.02.24
莫名的止不住
最近几天，情绪特别不好，在家里的时候，看到儿子会忍不住想要流眼泪，眼泪在眼眶里打转。看到你的时候，有点陌生，虽然自己难过的很想抱抱你，却淡淡的站在一边。或许你也看得出我的变化，大概率的也不能理解我吧连我自己都理解不了我自己。你爸妈来照顾儿子，打心底里，谢谢他们！对不起，因为生活习
n8470
2023.02.24
postome8 圣诞节
很抱歉，实在很抱歉。这里是[2018-12-25 21:51] 周末周日，魅蓝小魅客户端。 四天的假期也就这样结束了，恍惚之间。偷来的时光总是太短。当初周五在人满为患的公交车里，兴致满满又被博源放鸽子没有去上网，梦见太美好的东西，现实又太惨淡。 而且，心悸与烦恼担忧，不断
杰西丿rJress95959
2018.12.25
大女人就该搞事业
男朋友依旧不给我眼神，今天被介绍的男生加我微信了。一边尴尬一边主动和他聊天，不过感觉他好像不太热情，回复频率更低。这样我反而轻松了点，省得有道德负担哈哈哈哈，就当是认识普通老乡呗，都没啥的。然后考研我还是没有正式开始专业课……啊啊啊啊啊坚持背单词已经是一种努力了！可能现阶段我想先
Chasing
2022.04.23
生日快乐
现在是三月一日晚九点，离高考仅剩九十七天，我不知道自己会怎样度过这剩下的时间，是否会努力复习，撑过高考，所以我想写一封信给你，提前祝你高考顺利，顺便祝你生日快乐。高中三年，本以为不会对这三年的时光和回忆有所留恋，可我还是遇到了一群能一起喝酒喝到12点多的沙雕们，还是遇到了能语音聊
凝雪
2019.03.01
做自己，请自爱！！！
做自己！看到这封信的时候，我希望你正在自由的活出自我，活得张扬又洒脱！我相信你肯定会的，因为你根本受不了一点儿精神压迫，因为你从来向自由！如果没有，或许这是一个非常重要的忠告，因为我害怕你忘记了，或者在各种要“你”牺牲的声音中迷茫了不坚定了，便赶紧写下这封信。不要为任何身份（妻子
15273707289
2024.11.02
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