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黄小姐你过得好么？
你是不是很惊讶会收到这封信?为什么我还会打扰你的生活，但是请你浪费几分钟时间看完吧，也算是我最后拜托你的一件事了。很抱歉这段时间对你的打扰，原谅我的出现对你生活造成了困扰，我很抱歉。原本我以为我们分手后已经一年过去了，怎样大家都释怀了，现实却是,无论是我还是你，好像大家都心里还有疙瘩,我以为能在部门
Haven
Dec 18, 2020 · Traveled 2 years
以后的她
以后的她 您好！ 请原谅我的不善言辞，唇口之间的话却张口说不出口。 你现在过的好不好，你说未来会是怎样呀！未来究竟有多远呢，这一切的我们都不可而知，现在年少的我过的却很不好，经历了生活的失败，生意的失败，心里有太多的委屈却不知和谁去诉苦，2020年新冠疫情带走了很多东西，身边的朋友都说过的不好。我也
n6271
Dec 24, 2020 · Traveled 3 years
Photo letter
跨越五年的相遇
嗨，收到这封信是不是很意外，是不是突然想起来自己写的这封信了，今天是元旦，五年前的我也是在元旦写下的这信，距离2018.12.31已经7年 了也不知道你还能联系到她不能，我写这封信的时候还是可以联系到她，写这封信的时候的我很快乐没有很多烦恼，也没有很大的压力，但是再有六个月也要去实习了，这时候的我还
清晨日暮
Dec 31, 2020 · Traveled 5 years
有没有忘记了
嘿，你好，我早上刚刚吃了一个鸡蛋饼和一杯豆浆是不是觉得很奇怪，我给你发这封信，却没有勇气给她发？对，我没有勇气给她，难过现在的无能，她过生日我想祝福她，结果呢，太怂了，看到她空间其实只要她过得好就好，她真的是我很重要的一个人，至少在这以前的那些日子来比，遇到她是我一生幸运的事。家长和你说，不能与同性
我四giao哥
Jan 2, 2021 · Traveled 11 months 29 days
给24岁的你
七年前的我给你写了这封信，你应该有个家庭，有了稳定的工作，或许你处在人生的低谷，或许昨天才跟妻子吵了架，但是你要记住，身为一个男人，你要大度，你有责任照顾好家庭，上班累了就想想孩子，妻子，家人，那都是你的动力，总之，你要幸福的生活。好了现在去给你的妻子一个拥抱，给宝宝一个吻，记住你才24岁，明天会更
n6334
Jan 2, 2021 · Traveled 1 day
给24岁的你
七年前的我给你写了这封信，你应该有个家庭，有了稳定的工作，或许你处在人生的低谷，或许昨天才跟妻子吵了架，但是你要记住，身为一个男人，你要大度，你有责任照顾好家庭，上班累了就想想孩子，妻子，家人，那都是你的动力，总之，你要幸福的生活。好了现在去给你的妻子一个拥抱，给宝宝一个吻，记住你才24岁，明天会更
n6334
Jan 3, 2021 · Traveled 5 years
写给未来的…
三年前的我给你写了这封信，你也许还在低谷期，你也许有了家庭，记住你身为一个男人，一定要一直保持大度，你有责任和义务照顾好你的家庭，妻子，孩子，家人是你生活和工作的动力，给妻子一个拥抱，继续勇敢，坚强的生活下去，记住，明天会更好。
舒子声87766
Jan 12, 2021 · Traveled 3 years
Photo letter
你
我知道你活得很糟糕焦躁的情绪充斥着你他们时刻讽刺着你那个像疯子的你总是不懂事抱怨被控制的同时在心里种植仇恨的种子那时你的体重还没有五十公斤但你已经懂得这世界不是公平的孩子我为你骄傲 不管别人怎么看“这条路不好走，将来我们该怎么办？”讲真的 其实到现在我也还是没有答案我只想在你最绝望时能抱住你回到十七
xxxxtszwah
Jan 24, 2021 · Traveled 2 years
好久不见 小章。
hi 最近过得怎么样？我刚刚在刷抖音 看到了这样的写信方式 其实之前也看见了好多次 但一直在犹豫要不要写给你 不过我现在想通啦不知不觉已经分开快一年咯 前两天你生日吼 说实话我还是挺难受的 错过了你两个生日 后来也没有机会再补给你了 现在想起来 之前自己脾气也不太好 以前挺任性的 做任何事都比较苛刻
JocYu
Jan 30, 2021 · Traveled 1 day
关于凯
不管结果如何，我希望意杰永远真诚善良，永远热爱生活，希望能快点从阴霾中走出来，大步向前喔。
n6397
Feb 1, 2021 · Traveled 7 days
写给未来的…
不知道你还记不记得这一天发生了什么，我估计到那个时候也忘记了吧......其实我当时就应该想到，你的心中有别人，但是我更想不到，分手来的那么快。我相信自己能忘了你，忘了这一切，事实却是越想忘记记得越清楚。估计在你看到这封信时已经又双叒叕有了新的对象了吧......祝那个人是你的第一任吧
n6403
Feb 3, 2021 · Traveled 9 months 22 days
写给未来的你
你好，这封信写于吉林蛟河，家里，这是第二封写给今天的你的信，不要觉得烦，你话真的蛮多的。今天你和他分手一个月了，期间你努力保持联系，只是今天的你听到他不回来的消息，很崩溃，第一次见你哭的这么惨。等待他的时间好像一拖再拖，会不会遥遥无期，我们都不知道。你谈了新男朋友，他大你7岁，你对他不冷不热，真是他
未邱子
Feb 9, 2021 · Traveled 3 months 23 days
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