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.
How to write this letter
- 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
733 public letters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。
猫之寂寞LL
2018.06.21
自己
hi，你现在过得怎么样呢？是不是很开心 是不是有了很多新的烦恼呀。每个暑假都是欢乐与悲伤共存的。今天是我买票回贵州的一天。我突然觉得很委屈 心里在想的是我家为什么没有钱，为什么妈妈那么辛苦，为什么爸爸不在了。如果他还在我们肯定会过得好一点，我的大学会很快乐吧，能看到考上大学的我他
n8090
2022.08.07
2022年的你有没有走出抑郁和自己和解？
你好，我是2021年的陈旖旎，今天是你的生日，首先祝你生日快乐呀。2022年的你和自己的抑郁告别了吗？今年的你有没有很幸福啊，你有没有释怀了呀，你有没有遇到那个你该遇到的那个人了呀。今年可以去计划着去塞尔维亚啦，你要开心哦，开心最重要，无论你做什么决定和选择，你只要开心就行，人生
n6579
2021.02.16
写给未来的…自己
我现在没有了那些患得患失的感觉了吧。是的，没收到玫瑰花，（免费的）也没关系了吧，不跟陈胜联系也没有关系了是吗？是的，我把自己爱好了，不再等待谁来爱了。曾经，我的努力和优秀是为了跟人匹配，但是我足够努力了，我有自身价值的存在，不要把自己随便放到缺爱的位子上了。跟曾经的我不同了，20
安琪
2016.05.17
一年后，离梦想多远？
突然想给一年后的自己写封信 现在 还流连在和欧阳恒的回忆中 认识时间不久 却有一种前所未有的熟悉感觉相识：2013.12.19 相爱：2014..1.14 相离：2014.06.16分手原因都还不是很清楚 应该是他不爱了 而我确不肯承认如果有可能 我还愿意跟你继续在一起教会
apple930120
2014.08.08
生日快乐，我的学霸
不知道你今天开不开心，但无论如何，今天是你的生日哎！祝你生日快乐，不只是生日，每一天都要快乐！之前上小学和初一的时候你还一直以本学霸自称，但现在即使你休学了，你也依旧是优秀的学霸。你是一个坚强的人，即使饱受抑郁倾向和阿斯伯格综合征孤独感的折磨，你也活了下去。之前你还一直没有找到一
h25996
2025.06.15
一封来自5月2日的思念
现在是5月2号凌晨两点五十五分 我好饿 起来吃了两口面包… 我终于理解了那句“不删好友 内耗会折磨死我 删了好友 思念会折磨死我” 这种感觉…我没法说明白 太痛了 真的太痛了 我总是想起你 我想你会不会也像我一样忘不掉 可是我不明白 为什么你要接触新的人
1844467926
2024.05.02
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
Sansan333
2019.12.04
三年后的自己
嗨，宝贝，不知道你最近还好吗。现在的我过的很迷茫啊，不知道现在的你过的怎么样呢？ 现在你应该已经工作了三年了吧，不知道有没有买房子，买车子，有没有结婚呢？好想知道我们有没有走到最后，现在我们又吵架了，我也不知道还能不能继续下去，心里很难过，突然发现自己
Bing
2021.06.19
感觉怎么样？
what are you feeling?maybe you can feel a little sadness but no problem you can Give yourself a little faith, it's no big deal ,you can choi
n1986
2017.04.04
12/14
余思诚我讨厌你 真的讨厌你 真的很讨厌很讨厌你我真想打爆你的头 想你在路上被车撞死 想狠狠折磨你 想诅咒你以后不能和心爱的人在一起five stages of Kubler-Ross是骗人的。不管我再怎么接受我们已经分手了 这个他妈的铁板钉钉的事实，还是很他妈的疼死老子了。真的很
tyj小可爱没头脑
2015.12.14
寄给--最爱羊仔的宝贝栗子
不知道现在你怎么样了呢？会不会还因为碰到了烦心事就难过的想哭呢？其实今天我好伤心的，因为好多事情吧，室友都有事情干，只有我闲着，而且我也没有好好利用空闲时间做些什么，国创，科研，不想敲代码，数学学得怀疑人生，数据结构学了就忘，真的好难过呀；本来我是可以再坚持坚持的，但是今天逛微博
n5236
2020.09.25
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
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