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 letterstough time and I hope you have passed it
Dear FutureMe,I woke up this morning realized today is the due date for my social security payment and I checked my bank&alipay account and there was
n3462
Oct 18, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
是不是想不开
后悔了吗？是不是想不开？还要继续吗？生活还那么无聊吗？
n3544
Oct 21, 2018 · Traveled 3 months
老伙计 你现在活成自己想要的样子了么？
其实我知道 你当时回来家乡也是万般无奈 工作不顺心 爱情也跌落了低谷 一切的压力仿佛一座大山 压得你喘不过气 万幸的是你还有一个体谅你的父母 他们选择无条件的支持你做一番自己的事业 即便现在的你一无所有 空有一身想法无处挥洒 但是你要接受事实，每个地域的人都有他们的习惯 或者是眼光 无法改变别人的话
n3667
Nov 21, 2018 · Traveled 2 years 8 months
嘿 20岁的臭傻逼
哟 过得还好吗突然间愣住了 也不知道写些什么说说现在的自己吧 暑假结束了 开学蛮久了吧 暑假真的发生了很多很多事喜欢上了一个女孩 陪了她好久好久 结果才知道她有喜欢的人了 哟 悲剧男主角 不 你连个主角都算不上吧 说不定也该放弃了 最后再努力一下吧 答应了她想让她生日开心 嗯刚给她准备了惊喜 不过可
Narita
Nov 25, 2018 · Traveled 11 months 1 day
冬至将至，耶诞日已近。你也一样嘛，七年后。
你好，七年后的现在，应该也离冬至节不久了吧。也快耶诞日了吧，就是圣诞节。这里是[2018-12-21 12:22] 周五，华为黑Jack客户端。 很难专下心来听课，整个早上都是一样的，虽说临近放假，但是我这周的表现实在很糟糕，焦躁不安快盖过了欣喜，本来川流不息的溪流现在快被湍急的潮涌给冲垮。 我每次
杰西丿rJress95959
Dec 21, 2018 · Traveled 7 years
愿你不断学习和成长，觅得幸福
眼下的我生活举步维艰，或许这就是低谷，可我从不怀疑未来是美好和充满希望的，当下学英语从现实上来说就是迫切需要尽快的在当下生活的英语国家站稳脚跟，成家立业，理想的状态是能够逐渐的拓宽知识面，不断的改变和提升自己的学习能力，学会思考，感受繁华世界的包罗万象，感恩微笑的生活下去。一百天后我想自己不会有太多
n3885
Dec 21, 2018 · Traveled 2 months 12 days
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，不断交织接踵而至。一想到满目疮痍
杰西丿rJress95959
Dec 25, 2018 · Traveled 7 years
霍小宝
今天收到两年前寄给自己的信啦很开心因为明年的生活还是个未知数所以只寄了一年的呢这一年你还快乐吗烦恼是不是还是很多情绪稳定追求发展好好对待爸妈好好对待朋友和爱人从小事开始做事最重要的是爱自己永远都能有再站起来的力量张雪凝说，一切都会好的私心不敢写杜杜怕并没有好结果让你难过人生还长，慢慢来他一定也是希望
霍小宝
Dec 27, 2018 · Traveled 1 year
写给一周以后的我
Hi 既然我们都是自己，那就不客套了。我现在，好累。我很难受——我的精神已经涣散了，我无法集中到一件事情上，疲惫感不时地迎上来，击垮我。我体会了好几次被困倦吞没的感受。这听起来挺没趣的，是吧。说到底就是我困了，我很难继续学下去了。但我之前在干嘛呢，我浪费了大把时间，翘了大把课。说起来太丢脸了。我不觉
一个银勺子
Jan 3, 2019 · Traveled 3 days
人生就是翻越一个又一个低谷
亲爱的，祝你生日快乐！祝你新的一岁好运连连，脱颖而出。愿你翻越荆棘，不畏将来，不念过往。 我们本是同体，却又不得不活成两个人，互相拥抱互相取暖互相给予力量活下去。我知道我即将离去，生日那天我除了一封信留给你，再无其他惊喜。别难过，我离开也是爱你的方式，只是有些事需要你自己去经历，比如，一个人好好生活
wuli纯纯的巧克力牛奶
Jan 12, 2019 · Traveled 7 days
20190112
Dear佳佳： 见信如吾，今天凌晨跟你聊完天之后，我就睡了，睡到了今天中午十一点四十三，哈哈哈我感觉很满足。昨天聊天的时候突然意识到你是学心理学的，突然，suddenly...感觉特别高大上！我之前测体质是气郁质，很委屈，其实我也知道自己初中毕业以来，就很少真正的开心，学习啊生活啊都变得没那么容易。
米苏
Jan 12, 2019 · Traveled 7 days
写给100天后的自己
毕业六年多了，从参加工作，到结婚，到生子，我的分身在不断的发生着变化。不知不觉间时间在流逝，我每天都说工作忙，照顾孩子，可是就是没有拿出一点点时间学习英文，英文的半瓶醋状态真是我的心头恨，每次都想提起精神来学一学，但每次都没有行动。这段迷茫的时期突然让我有了重拾英语的冲动，正好又遇到了薄荷阅读，就让
n3975
Jan 13, 2019 · Traveled 7 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