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写给未来的自己。
呀，这回隔了四个多月呀。hey，秋天的你，还好不？一年过得很快吧。我是特意选在这一天的，一年前的你，在这天可是受了不小的打击哦。但我知道，你很快，早就在很久之前，你就基本痊愈啦。其实，后面还有许多糟糕的呢，本命年，比较命运多舛。但不管如何，也不管下半年的你终于拾回了运气，还是继续跌跌撞撞呢，本命年也
R_Moku
May 28, 2018 · Traveled 3 months 27 days
写给一年后的你，亲启。
你好老渠，我是22岁的小渠23岁生日，是不是还是一个人过。首先确定一下你是否还活着，但愿。18岁，周五，直到送她回家，人家根本不记得你生日。19岁 ，第一次高考前几天，发烧头昏。20岁，第二次高考备考，不算紧张，也收到一个老友残破的礼物。21岁，生日悄悄的过去。22岁，一个人过，唯有老妈记得，发了5
er来四万八千岁
Jun 3, 2018 · Traveled 11 months 20 days
陈耀龙
致亲爱的陈耀龙： 呐，耀龙哥，现在是2018年6月7号晚上22:52，窗外下着很大的雨，这场雨持续了很久，街道的水积了很多，就像我内心想对你说的话那么多。 这个学期，考完月考二，我经历了一段很迷茫的时期。因为我付出了比平常还要多的努力，却得到了一个怎么也想不到的成绩，我从一开始的痛苦，到了后来的麻木
邱琳一
Jun 7, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
给彼时彼刻的你
不知道那时你还会记得此时此刻的心情如何和种种，甜蜜又忧伤的度过了五月，六月又面对了一些不知所措的抉择。其实，在人生路口，我们都是不经意的做出了改变一生的决定。我想要告诉自己，迷茫不可怕，人生就是在这一路的探求之中才会发现自我本真。不知道未来如何时，那便暂且放到一边，不去理会。内心平静之后我还是无畏和
周天天的南瓜车
Jun 14, 2018 · Traveled 6 months
给未来的自己
首先祝你新年快乐，你现在过的还好吗，那个女孩子最后和你怎么样了，你们最后在一起了吗，结婚了吗，孩子叫什么名字，我现在过的很好，每天上13个小时班生活过的非常充实，已经有一个多月没有休息过了，一直嚷嚷着想要出去玩却一直都一直以没有时间为借口，你现在过的怎么样过上想要的生活了吗，还是在外面漂泊吗，几年回
人生漫长我劝你好生走路y
Jun 16, 2018 · Traveled 4 years 6 months
狠难受
今天下午我一直在玩手机，傍晚时分我觉得自己现在是非常的空虚。带回来的书卷子有很多可是我根本没有耐心去写。还记得2个月前的我对学习是难么的感兴趣，可现在颓废，颓废。去年多么的喜欢背单词但是现在已经成了背单词困难户了，买的资料也仅限于买了。 期末考试会怎麽样呢，我会考出我理想的分数吗？还是我会选择去作弊
洪国程
Jun 17, 2018 · Traveled 3 months 2 days
Photo letter
写给未来的…
生日快乐。不知道现在的你是不是孤独一人，时光荏苒，岁月如梭。一转眼25岁了，今天的你开心吗？不知道曾经想要的得到了没有？三年前内心很阴暗，把自己关到房子里不愿见人，满脑子想的都是怎么去死，想找个懂你的人说说话啊，却始终都找不到。身边的亲人越来越远，朋友也越来越少。愿你能走出曾经的阴影，走远了就不要再
500英里
Jun 19, 2018 · Traveled 3 years 6 months
给一年后的自己
Hi Rene你好吗？又过了一年，你好吗？一年前这个时候的你，很迷茫，很丧，几乎每天都郁闷的流泪，很压抑自己。回不到过去，失败的婚姻，是你自己种的因结的果，曾经幸福的家庭没有了。看不到未来，那个你为之疯狂为之付出一切的男人，让你伤透了吧。你放不下，你不甘心，你舍不得，你难过至极。可是又有什么用呢？不
猫之寂寞LL
Jun 21, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
亲爱的！
我爱你，如果这个时候的我们不在一起了！请不要怪我！其实我很难受！我压力很大，我不能在自私下去了！因为你和我在一起只能吃苦！我现在完全没办法给你一个安稳的家！你跟我在一起只能吃苦！我家境其实不是很好，你的家境也不是很好！所以我目前没办法让你吃喝不愁，不用为了钱烦恼！如果现在我们还在一起，我将生死相依！
n3286
Jun 27, 2018 · Traveled 3 months
写给一年后的自己
今年是我压力最大的1年，工作上，感情上，家庭上，财务上，压力使我心力交瘁，体重比去年下降5公斤，任何人见到我都说怎么变瘦那么多，不知道的以为我减肥了，实际上是因为经常加班到半夜，工作多到做不完，还有其他感情上，家庭上，财务上的压力，使我每天都活在压力之下，我曾有过自杀的念头，但我想如果我不在了，我家
风淡云轻LEI
Jul 5, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
杨晨 我想你了
杨晨 殊不知这些天我这里一直在下雨，下的时候难免心里会想起好多事，想起北京，北京的冬天那样的拥抱。忘了告诉你，晨晨 我结婚了。是5月20号的那天。那天也是下着小雨，32岁的我就这样无怨无语的结婚了。从北京回来的这7年，我做了一生最后悔的事，心里永远都无法释怀，我永远怨恨自己，我多想回到过去。想去南方
行若记忆
Jul 8, 2018 · Traveled 2 years
2023年的燕子
此刻外面下雨，雷鸣电闪，和他吵了两句，回房间了，听着严艺丹的歌，醉城伤！今天收到12年写给自己的信，5年前对自己的期许，刚开始是惊愕，发呆，在深深读时，热泪盈眶，哭得稀里哗啦！.....回想那天写信时还在射手座上班，心里很乱，要什么没什么，躁动的心无法安放。在射手座那几年是很快乐的，有好朋友的陪伴，
888
Jul 17, 2018 · Traveled 5 years
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