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
29岁生日快乐！！
啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊！！！！！！！刚刚写了一遍没有保存，丢了！！！！！！再来！首先不管过得怎么样，都祝你生日快乐！！！29岁的你是否还如此彷徨？2018年注定会成为不平凡的一年，去年写得要好好待妹纸，但是我好像没有怎么做到。。内心太平静了，毫无波澜。谈朋友不兴奋，就连结婚都很
我的世界
2018.04.28
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
星光
2020.08.05
写给小帆同学的信
哈哈哈没有想到我会给你写信吧，2026年的这天你都25岁了，我现在才16诶。临时起意写下这封信，以后你再看会很幼稚吧，不要介意啦。突然打扰五年后的你，其实我还没有想好要写点什么给你，因为五年对现在的我来说真的太长啦，长到我都无法猜测我们到底还能不能见上一面，到时候我们会见面吗，会
toki
2021.05.21
写给痛苦迷茫的自己
亲爱的，你现在还在痛苦中吗，你知道吗，我现在感觉很不开心，我觉得自己用一年的时间终于成长了，发现到最后循环成了一个圈，现在的我还在痛苦和迷茫，你说好笑吧，工作得不到认可对于我来说竟然这么重要，天天对着一张张自己讨厌的面孔，我觉得自己的忍耐快到了尽头 有时候我挺讨厌自
AL黑色曼陀罗
2014.08.14
致那个她
我知道像我们这种二十岁左右的人其实人生才刚刚开始，生活中的磨难苦难也会在这一时间出现。不管是朋友、恋人和爱人，都有可能面临着背叛、出轨、欺骗和离别，这都是常有的事。以前的我常常在想如果我身边爱的人有一天背叛了我，我一定会不知所措、失望、伤心，甚至一辈子都不能原谅，但是现在的我
n6762
2021.03.03
来自2025年2月6日给斐宝的信
宝宝，你看到这封信的时候我应该在国外上学，最近很累，出来逃避工作也这么累，练不完的专业，健不完的身，工作也没着落，心里慌啊真累，但还好吧，心里还是有对未来的期望，就能用力走下去，你最近总是问我，我喜不喜欢你，已经谈了这么久了你还总是问我，给不了你安全感你才会这样一直问，咱们之间有
n5642
2025.02.06
12.04
分手后第四天 可能压力太大睡得晚想让妈妈早点睡所以昨晚自己睡。 做了梦有人在我耳边说了一句话我就吓醒了缩在被里成个球。 今天是分手后的第四天，可能是曲航故意的吧， 让你和我遇见 其实我挺想见你的我又不想跟你说话 你送我走的临走前挽着胳膊走了一圈对于我来说 是这几天最大的幸福了。
穆爷Ha
2015.12.04
来人方长，后会无期
过了这么久，很庆幸没有再相互打扰，也很感谢你对我的祝愿。还是说一声抱歉，稍晚一点你会收到我暑期末充满怨念时义愤填膺写的信。抱歉这个信打扰到了你。“言轻莫劝人”，我的那些信的话语微不足道，不必在意，愿莫受其影响 不再来往 。最后我选择了自爱自强，我自始至终还是较极端的利己主义，那些
ixiaocang
2025.12.14
赵帅逼are you okay？
过的好吗？ 就快要高考了，准备的怎么样，你还是会想念阿嘎嘎，雷管儿，寸扬他们吗，你要知道，朋友是一辈子的，不需要随时陪在一起，心在一起，就够了。 你的脾气还是一如既往的怪吗？你会后悔现在做的事吗？你会后悔没做的事吗？ 说
Evillve
2015.08.05
嘿，你过得好吗？
现在的自己很颓废，自控力很差，高中好像才和我见面，可现在却过去了六分之一。我还是很迷惘，很孤单，依然以一个loser的角度来看待这个世界，活的还是那么失败。我盼望着成功和别人羡慕的眼光，可是自己总是没有毅力去做。我知道我这样不对，可总是行动上没有实践。常常会有与这个世界格格不入的
zyl
2015.02.11
一路的雨
嗨，今天的你，很贪婪，给自己写了两封信。前面已经说过了，天气不好，有一种厚重的压抑感，可能大概和心情是有关的吧。你看了一会关于刘同的书，你静下来了，去翻阅着朋友圈，就这样一遍一遍，孤单而无助。你突然间鼻头一阵酸楚，放肆的哭了起来，好像关于他，却有一种无以言表的悲伤。很丢人吧吧，从
你在有海的地方
2018.02.14
写给未来的我
现在的我很难过，但是为了你GMH，为了别人的承诺，我会好好努力的，我要给两年后的我一份满意的答卷。最后我要让你看到我的笑。 我会记住，不止我一个人在奋斗。而是好多人陪着我，我的动力们。我真的要奋发
窗上有鬼诶
2013.04.20
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