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你还记得吗
一年了，或许时间冲淡了伤痛，但是那份回忆是你永远不会忘记的
tadchange
Jul 22, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
来自过去的一首诗
To Life ----Who are you ？ 生活啊，你到底是怎样的存在？ 你让人们面对现实痛不欲生 你让人们面对结果心灰意冷 你让人们美好的梦想破灭 你让人们倾尽的努力落空 生活啊，你到底怎样的存在？ 你让人们面对回报欣喜若狂 你让人们面对奇迹泣不成声 你让人们无限的风光流转 你让人们不屈的
Town
Aug 9, 2018 · Traveled 4 months 23 days
100天的等待
100天过去了，一切都顺利吗？现在应该入冬了吧？暖洋洋的阳光照在身上，心情也是明媚的。没有过不去的坎，光阴会引领你在未知的道路上，勇往直前。一生之中，总有顺心和糟心的时候，这便是生活的意义。吃过的亏会变成经验教训，也不算亏。浪费的时间，回头看看真的是在浪费生命。从现在起，振作起来，重拾激情，积极面对
n3356
Aug 14, 2018 · Traveled 3 months 7 days
人生最大的迷茫
昨天是中元姐，被Aiken痛骂，其实我有点发现不懂她啦，老天爷啊，你究竟让我何去何从呢
guraena
Aug 25, 2018 · Traveled 3 years
Photo letter
不忘初心 方能始终
此时此刻 一个人在房间里听着华晨宇的《烟火里的尘埃》，不知不觉已经到吃饭的点了，想想这1821天的日日夜夜，想想当时当新兵的样子，想想自己在部队里过得二十岁生日，想想身边的一些人啊 ，一个一个倔强的都像一个孩子，当真正出事之后都不知所措。看着身边的人一个一个的离开，我不知道该说些什么？记得看《士兵突
思绪开始停留2412
Aug 31, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
Photo letter
2018年9.7
这一天，我和狗子吵架了，这一切看似突然，其实在我的意料之中。我的病太严重了，已经到了无可挽回的地步。我只希望自己能快点好起来。我这样下去，会害了很多人，我觉着我伤害了狗子，事情突然就发生了。我这几天都在演戏，假装没有她我会很开心。真的，太累了。
n3411
Sep 8, 2018 · Traveled 11 months 30 days
还来得及
一个月前的今天，你把所有负面情绪一扫而空。你最担心，高考的失利，根本上不过就是你的无用造成的。你总是不愿面对自己的失败，找这样那样的理由，我希望你能坦然从容地面对失败。你总是以自己还没努力当借口。空令岁月易蹉跎，你的因造成了果。你有拖延症，你很清楚。你总是骗自己，我只是不努力踩考不好。你像一块烂泥扶
n3410
Sep 8, 2018 · Traveled 1 month
(｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ嗨~又五年了
又五年了再是老男人了吧媳妇再娶了吧娃娃也又了吧日子可以了吧保时捷开上了没？要是看见了能回个信最好了这段时间真的好无助好无助都只能和未来的你说话了晚上给梦里给个提示吧哎
n3415
Sep 10, 2018 · Traveled 5 years
廖怡然 于2018.9.15
发送于 2018年9月15日白惨的灯光还未熄灭，白惨的房门与白惨的门框咬着。床占了房间，房间是吞了象的蟒蛇腹，逼仄得无法呼吸。我挤着床墙间的缝隙急促狂躁地步行，我的心脏——被夺取了氧气，萎缩成凄惨的干涩。是案牍压着吧，明朗清晰的书堆，在痛苦里是模糊而尖锐的。是别的什么吧，我知道，我中毒了，但也别问是
n3424
Sep 14, 2018 · Traveled 5 years
Photo letter
始终要回答的问题
此时此刻的你想必一晚上都没有睡好觉吧。打开尘封的相册，发现曾经的自己笑容并没有深刻。现在是2018年9月18日，离回去的日子越来越近了，不知道回去的生活将是怎样度过，记得那天晚上，一个不小心，连续两次把手机掉在地上，不知道当时你是如何想的，手机是不可能换了，以现在的经济状况能吃饱饭就已经心满意足了。
思绪开始停留2412
Sep 18, 2018 · Traveled 11 months 14 days
Photo letter
你现在是谁陪在你身边呢
谢谢你在2017年送给我的所有痛苦，但是我还是谢谢你到我的人生走了一程，虽然很痛苦，但是很难忘，我会幸福的，希望你也能，想你的2018-9-25
早杞
Sep 25, 2018 · Traveled 3 years
自己
今晚我走着走着突然想自己为自己仅有的尊严奋斗一回，又想享受一点仅有的快乐，为时间而担心，突然笑了又哭了觉得贱贱贱贱贱贱贱贱贱贱贱。
mila
Sep 25, 2018 · Traveled 1 year 8 months
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