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执念太深
大概你都想不到吧！这已经是你喜欢他的第四个年头了。每个人都以为你不爱了的时候，其实你还在夜里痛哭。 我想你是难过的，是不得不向现实屈服的难过；是夜里绝望的呜咽着“我不能再想你了”的难过；是假装放弃了的难过…… 昨天我又梦到伯贤了，你说有没有可能是他想我了，还是我太想他了呢？我梦到他说娶我，我多么开心
wuli纯纯的巧克力牛奶
Jan 14, 2019 · Traveled 3 months 17 days
Photo letter
今日还是沙雕的我啦
想了一下，还是打算在2022年的生日哪一天寄给你。这一年应该很重要吧，高三毕业一年，不知你在工作还是在家里蹲。寄生日灵感来源于时光邮局的某一份信件寄给17岁生日的xx。不知道该怎么说这封信，难得起了兴致就打开了这个网站给你写信。今天我的不知道第几任情缘，我们死情缘了，今天刚有的大火花，明天就断了吧。
景儿
Jan 19, 2019 · Traveled 3 years 10 months
你还好吗
一年后的自己：我昨天分手了，我有点难过。但是大家都说早就该分了，我很疑惑。“一点点温暖，当做爱情。”可能我真的是这样。不管怎么样，多多去看这个世界，过好自己的人生。
霍小宝
Jan 26, 2019 · Traveled 1 year
三个月后的你，一定会开心地生活的！
知道你自己现在度过一段很艰难的时间，理智和冷静告诉我要怎么做，但控制情绪这件事，有时候好像大脑真的管不住。没关系，现在自己已经很清楚不是为他难过，确实不值得啊！再给自己两三天时间，为自己难过。但我相信，三个月后的我肯定又回归开心独立有思想的我了！
n4013
Feb 16, 2019 · Traveled 3 months
21岁的自己，生日快乐
廿一岁的自己： 你好！今天是你的生日，首先祝你生日快乐。时光倥偬，距离曾经的高考过去有两年了，距离高一的懵懂无知已经五年了，距离初三时的热血已经六年了，你认为你长大了没有。我们总想着自己就是一个大人了，可是我们又一无所有，却整天妄想着整个宇宙。自己失去了太多，也后悔很多，但是时间长了就会释然许多。就
白泽子
Feb 24, 2019 · Traveled 4 months 2 days
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天聊到半夜的好姬友，
凝雪
Mar 1, 2019 · Traveled 3 months 5 days
emmmmm总会过去的
算了，我不知道该说点什么。因为自己一掐指一算，距离集中治疗那次大概已经过去了三年？？？过了三年平稳期，不知道为什么近期又有点复发不好的症状。我这两天真的挺难过的。因为我还记得当时的无力感、花了好多钱，盼望着赶紧好，自己去医院，每天吃的很清淡，要忌口，等等等等。还记得有一次去看医生，那是不记得去的第多
talktothesecret
Mar 2, 2019 · Traveled 14 days
Photo letter
现在抑郁的我写给明年的自己
你好好吗？不管怎么样，都要结束了，都会迎来新的生活。现在的我很焦虑，甚至觉得自己有点抑郁了。很后悔当初的选择，没有自己想要的生活。我不喜欢每天都很忙，不喜欢吵闹的大城市，我喜欢我的那个家乡，那个农村，喜欢跟家人呆在一起，喜欢安静的生活，喜欢每天都能回家吃饭。我现在担忧我不能毕业，不能做出论文，因为我
飘零
Mar 3, 2019 · Traveled 10 months 28 days
Photo letter
我想要带你去所有的地方，把全部幸福都藏在你身上
我以为我们可以永远在一起的，然后我们分手了。还是你提的分手，你不觉得在临近高考跟我分手很过分吗，就不怕毁了我吗，不怕我走不出来嘛，你知道我是什么样的人啊。你真的太狠心了，一点都不爱我，我都不忍心伤害到你太多，哪次我提分手没有跟你复合。好吧，那是我作，就当我是我作吧。 可是我现在还是喜欢你啊，所以我决
n4125
Mar 19, 2019 · Traveled 2 months 20 days
19/3/19
19/3/19最近眼部有些感染，用眼过度，有些难受。人逐渐步入20，内心确确实实有着些许的寂寞，下周一科目二的补考，自己觉得因该可以通过，毕竟挂过一次，有些经验了今天又看了看将近一年前的邮箱，发现我和她聊天居然有了13页的邮箱聊天来往记录，居然有那么多。上周一高中朋友来了武汉，一起出去玩了一天，晚上
n4126
Mar 19, 2019 · Traveled 2 years
写给未来的…
描述不出的心情和状态，总之今天感觉不太好。莫名的担心和恐慌，仍然是关于未来。觉得自己太容易患得患失，搞得自己心情总是起起落落。想试着让自己的内心不为所动， 变得更强大一点，却无从下手。 首先来谈谈自己心情落得原因。阳春三月，春暖花开，我想恋爱。不知道是不是因为节气的关系，注意，我只想恋爱。只是想恋爱
周天天的南瓜车
Mar 25, 2019 · Traveled 9 months 6 days
2021年会变好么？
滨河网鱼网咖，一个人，孤独又傻逼 2021年你在那？ 会比现在好么？ 会后悔么？ 加油吧！别再让自己失望了。 此致敬礼 2019年3月28日 没死就好啊 安康
n4140
Mar 28, 2019 · Traveled 2 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