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亲启
当你看到这封邮件的时候，已经过去接近一年了，如果你已经成功了，请记得最开始的一切，如果你还没有成功或者还在半途，你一定要相信你自己，千万不要放弃，因为，你的身后还有其他人在等着你成功归来的那一天。要记得，你身后还有人在支持你，千万千万不要放弃。你一定会成功的。就算不为了谁，也一定要记得，她在天上等着
n5074
Jul 5, 2020 · Traveled 4 months 19 days
写给未来的…
现在是2020.7.7，高考已经过去一年一个月，明天就是大圆复读高考的日子，祝愿她有个好成绩！明年这个时候我已经在工作了吧。6.23我喜欢的火箭少女101解散了，感谢她们去年这个时候带给我的快乐，让我走出了高考失利的阴霾。再过去的一年里我的观念发生了很打的变化，变得有自信不再害怕懦弱。给我的感觉就像
n4889
Jul 7, 2020 · Traveled 5 years
希望你开心一点
今天的你，发现了两个残酷的事情，一个你喜欢上了别人，另一个，你们之间没有结果。希望在明年的现在，你能找到自己的方向，能有钱，能学会去爱，能活着，求你，活着！多笑笑！就算他们都不喜欢你！起码，一年前的你喜欢，请活下来，笑着！求你，求你，求你！
守卫心中殿堂
Jul 8, 2020 · Traveled 1 year
如果我还活着…
2020年七月二十日，我被申磊开车撞，倒地呼吸困难，二十一号佳佳陪我检查，肋骨骨折，身体多处擦伤，左脚脚背软组织挫伤。三年后的我如果还活着，能够收到这一封信，如果我和申佳佳还在一起，我希望自己能记着这一天不要忘了。因为现在的我没车没房没存款，还欠了三万多块钱，正在努力跑美团外卖想赚钱还账的时候出了这
n5119
Jul 22, 2020 · Traveled 3 years
写给未来的自己
hi，我是2020年暑假7月22日的涂文华，不知道你过得怎么样了，我知道暑假工真累了，今天早上七点半起来去搬酒，回来吃个饭就去换班，晚上加了一个半小时的班，一天下来也就三百块钱，这就是挣钱的不容易吧；但是现在，感情仍然出现了问题，感觉陈灵莎和我其实本就不是一个世界的人，两年以来，两个人互相关心了很多
雨隔秋烟君长安
Jul 22, 2020 · Traveled 6 months
好难写的标题！
哈喽哈喽，认识“给未来写封信”APP已经有两年？三年？记不清楚了，写过好几次信了，应该是2018年写过了。说实话我以为忘记这个APP，但是收到几次信件之后 ，对自己写给自己的信还有所期待的呢。我也曾经给那谁写过一次，不知道他看过没有。也许是看见过，所以那段时间才会偶尔找我联系我吧。但是能不能在一起好
n5151
Jul 27, 2020 · Traveled 3 months
写给4年后的自己
哈啊哈 哈喽 未来的瓦大喜 现在的你还在为着爱情迷茫呢 怎么样 高考顺利吗 等到那个她了吗 现在已经分手三天了 很难受 还听着网抑云打磨着时间 呢 陈瑾瑜呢 她遵守了约定吗 我来告诉你吧 就算她抛弃了你 你也要坚强啊 拿着这封跨时间的信吧 未来在想你招手 -2020 0806 grj
星光
Aug 5, 2020 · Traveled 3 years 11 months
来自2020年的我
亲爱的美丽的元元今天是你分手的第42天，八月了，你今年经历了恋爱，分别，朋友可能要回家了，马上要回家做手术，觉得这一年太糟糕了，身边的人都在告诉你，他不好，他配不上你，我希望明年的我会忘了他，提起他时候也笑笑而已，希望明年的我能遇到珍惜我的那一个人，我真的太痛苦了，真的希望一年年变好，我希望2021
n5184
Aug 10, 2020 · Traveled 1 year
27岁
尚大方：小时候憧憬18岁的样子，当27岁已经快过去一周后，已想不清18岁的痕迹。 这封信是以“想到哪儿，写到哪儿”为主题。回顾自己这几年的状态，不温不火，躲在自己的保护壳之下。行动力，不知道什么时候被自己挥霍掉了，感觉一年不如一年，希望这封信寄出来的时候能看到自己这方面的改变吧。工作迷茫，找不到前进
村口小明同学
Aug 18, 2020 · Traveled 1 month
Photo letter
累 but
下雪了吗？我现在好累啊，牙套那个已经被我崩下来3个了，母亲越来越暴躁的脾气让我好害怕啊。我就是正常刷牙然后不小心就会怼到啊，不用力刷不干净啊，就算我已经轻轻放上去了可还是会勾到啊，我能怎么办啊，死掉吗，好难受啊还很累，怎么办啊犀下雪了吗？我好累啊，我想看一看雪。白色的。我也想和马小卿谁的，互抱着从山
吞吞吐吐
Aug 23, 2020 · Traveled 3 months 27 days
最近你还好么
其实写这封信之前我很不知所措，我也不太会说话，今年是2020年，也就是3年前的你写信给现在的你，说实在的挺讽刺的啊，我不能决定我的未来，我也不想决定一些现在想做的事，只能随波逐流。我也不知道未来的自己在3年后依旧是单身还是已经是别人的妻子，手上或者心里有想保护或者想珍惜的人，说不好听的，我现在觉得自
萬年輪迴待妳踏雪歸
Sep 10, 2020 · Traveled 3 years
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，但是今天逛微博超话看见碎玉投珠要拍
n5236
Sep 25, 2020 · Traveled 1 month
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