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…
你好，未来更优秀的你现在是不太快乐23岁的我，买了新的手机P30,可是却不太满意呢，因为不是自己喜欢的颜色，还很像2000块钱就能买到的山寨手机，不过总归是新手机，而且不想让爸爸难堪，真的讨厌老去和死亡。你现在越来越胆小也越来越没用，可是父母还依然让你当着公主，唯一能迁就你的能宠着你的就真的只有父母
坂口Sharky
Dec 2, 2019 · Traveled 2 years
28
28了，天哪没想到时间那么快，一转眼又是一年了。在写这封信的时候回顾了过去的一年，其实这几年的信一直都在纠结一个事情，不想做这份工作，不知道要做什么工作，因为钱不得不留在这里觉得痛苦无意义挣扎但其实就26岁这一年回顾，觉得还好。26岁，尤其是最近的这一个月，觉得挺满足的，大概是和几位朋友聊了一些工作
Sansan333
Dec 4, 2019 · Traveled 1 year
有时候
有时候我们只是缺少一些上马提枪去干 他 娘 的勇气
戴鹰酱面具的兔
Dec 19, 2019 · Traveled 1 month 11 days
不知今夕何夕
变化剧烈，不知道明年如何，很焦虑无助很害怕 我想要团队
guraena
Jan 16, 2020 · Traveled 1 year
Photo letter
写给毕业时的我
致从defeat: 你好吗，今天偶然翻b站视频时看到有人推荐这个玩意，刚好今天又是个情人节，呵呵，百无聊赖，就来写一写东西。我挑的这个时间刚好是你毕业的时候，虽然具体日子不知道，不知道你什么时候拿到毕业证，不知道你什么时候又开始照毕业照，不知道你那时会不会还是一个人照相，不知道你那时找到没有自己的女
从defeat
Feb 14, 2020 · Traveled 2 years 4 months
我
我才十八岁，但已经记不到心动是什么感觉了。我自私，有时还很贪婪，曾经还怀疑过自己的性取向，心胸狭隘。当然，身边也有很多爱我的朋友和家人，但时常感觉不到他们的爱。我常常批判一些不道德的行为，但自己却也常常产生这些行为，我知道自己贪婪的样子有多难看，但意识到的时候多是为时已晚。有时候我也很讨厌自己没有一
MrShadow
Feb 17, 2020 · Traveled 2 years
我
我才十八岁，但已经记不到心动是什么感觉了。我自私，有时还很贪婪，曾经还怀疑过自己的性取向，心胸狭隘。当然，身边也有很多爱我的朋友和家人，但时常感觉不到他们的爱。我常常批判一些不道德的行为，但自己却也常常产生这些行为，我知道自己贪婪的样子有多难看，但意识到的时候多是为时已晚。有时候我也很讨厌自己没有一
MrShadow
Feb 17, 2020 · Traveled 2 years
无标题
刚刚重新写了一遍，觉得没啥好写的，我现在的态度好听点叫洒脱，难听点叫颓废。觉得人生太苦了。疫情期间在家里呆着太久了，感觉负能量爆棚。什么时候开始家成了负能量的聚集地，我不知道，但我觉得回到家里就要面对很现实的成长，很无力的感觉，很无力。我不想去制定什么计划了，走一步算一步，走一步看一步吧，毕业后找个
乾支Joey
Feb 22, 2020 · Traveled 1 year
写给未来的…
这个邮箱还是在抖音看到的,就突然想写一个吧。我写这个的时候特别压抑，这个时候正好是跟她分手的一个月零一天，因为新冠状病毒宅在家里每天抱着电脑，原本这个时候我应该在学校里上学，离开这个地方，我在这每一天都好像是折磨自己，我喜欢她七年，我以前看过她跟一个个男的处对象其实之前我没什么感觉有感觉也不是那么强
余风
Feb 23, 2020 · Traveled 1 day
写给未来的邬晓宇
嘿，这是来自2020年的邬晓宇，也就是三年前的你希望你看到这封信的时候生活不再是像我现在这样，每天不知道干嘛，也找不到自己的方向，也不知道我三年后会是什么样子，有没有完成自己的梦想我呢就是一个拿不定主意的人，但是我希望你不一样，我希望你可以自己做决定，我相信你可以把自己的人生规划好最后，我是三年前的
n4778
Feb 24, 2020 · Traveled 2 years 10 months
Photo letter
寄三年后的自己
成成： 展信佳！不知道三年后的此刻你在做什么，又从事什么样的职业。我将此时的心情告诉你，和未来的你说说话。 调剂无望的无助以及对未来的迷茫压抑在心里。求学这一路并不平坦，有时也会想起什么时候将一副好牌打成这个样子，但我不能放弃，将它当成磨砺吧。你在打牌的时候即使你抓到一副最烂的牌，你也不能弃局，你也
成成向前冲
Feb 25, 2020 · Traveled 3 years 6 months
两年了，快振作起来好吗？
你是否还会莫名悲伤你是否依旧小心眼卑微的强迫自己扮演烂好人耳机不离身手机不脱手歌单里依旧喜欢着那些歌我想我能够了解你能够爱你和爱自己时间总让人感到陌生和无情那首欢喜那首记昨日书那个让你感慨又活了一遍的作家梨梨也许成长过后你依然铭记伤感但是你尊重并理解善待并释然也才两年你能够好好毕业么还是已经脱离学校
袁小姐的孤单日记
Feb 28, 2020 · 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