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给未来的瑞
瑞： 今天是2023年3月30日，你生日呀。祝你生日快乐。我是2021年2月8日的你。现在的你正在经历刻骨铭心的分手。你的小逸和你分开了。他说了很多难听的话，但你还是决定要和他在一起。哪怕没有名份。哪怕不能有孩子。那现在你们在一起了吗？如果在一起了，希望一切如你所愿，你有了自己温馨的小家，你和他有了
rui
Feb 9, 2021 · Traveled 2 years 1 month
2022的刘卤蛋
现在呢是早上 大年初一 我在给你写信 等你看到的时候希望你点进网易云听一首歌 If I Have To Go 看看歌词 听听平淡 我也在听现在 边听边给你说 昨天晚上我们刚刚理论完 你对我好像只有恨 我想不通明明是你做错了事 还反过来说我 我们不会在和好啦 就像数学题 说不会就不会 你也带你觉得好的
无敌小熊历险记
Feb 12, 2021 · Traveled 1 year
2022的刘卤蛋
现在呢是早上 大年初一 我在给你写信 等你看到的时候希望你点进网易云听一首歌 If I Have To Go 看看歌词 听听平淡 我也在听现在 边听边给你说 昨天晚上我们刚刚理论完 你对我好像只有恨 我想不通明明是你做错了事 还反过来说我 我们不会在和好啦 就像数学题 说不会就不会 你也带你觉得好的
无敌小熊历险记
Feb 12, 2021 · Traveled 1 year
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，人生啊就这么短，不要做让
n6579
Feb 16, 2021 · Traveled 1 year 5 months
写给十八岁的自己
当自己收到这封信的时候已经十八岁了，十八岁对我来说一直都是遥不可及，不敢去想象自己成年了，或许是真正的长大了吧，我走错了好多路，好多好多，我对不起我的爸爸妈妈，对不起我辜负的人，我做事不带脑子，最对不起自己，我感觉好累，有想过快点离开这个世界，我想起来还有爸爸妈妈在，我舍不得。现在是2月16日，今年
难舍难分
Feb 16, 2021 · Traveled 4 months 27 days
Photo letter
小流氓给小可爱的一封信
你好呀，罗浩淋，我是来自2021年的王秋雨。2020年7月24日我们结束了。我通过时光邮局给你写的一封信，不知道4年以后你怎么样了？你是否有像我当时说的开开心心、健健康康、幸福顺遂。但我告诉你。我真的真的很开心遇见你。我后来好像就没有再碰到过像你那么爱我的人了。希望你幸福顺遂，想你所想，做你所做，爱
ThinkMax_小王
Feb 18, 2021 · Traveled 2 years 5 months
写给一年后的自己
今天出院了，门牙掉了三颗，嘴还肿着，要等二十天后才能装牙，工作请假了，也不知道回郑州后会怎么样。生活感情工作都一塌糊涂，希望一年后的自己生活有所起色
n6724
Feb 23, 2021 · Traveled 10 months 8 days
写给你自己的
如果未来我还活着的话，那时的你肯定会嘲笑现在的我吧，可当时我真的撑不下去了，死这个念头已经在我脑海存在很久了。你的病是否还像现在的我一样，被他们说是装的，其实我并没有装，真的，只是不想说出口，我自己感受不到自己身体的变化，如果我还活着，那你一定要好好活着，不要为了不相干的某人生气，哪怕他未来变好了，
n6730
Feb 26, 2021 · Traveled 2 years 10 months
宋官政
休学一年了，后悔吗？成长了吗？准备好应对接下来的磨练了吗？死了吗？
n6749
Feb 28, 2021 · Traveled 1 year
嗯
本文章所有内容都没在祈求你的可怜谢谢理解我们没有好好的相爱很久是我最遗憾的遗憾真的到了说再见的时候啦 我应该还是很难过 没办法啦真的再也见不到了说真的如果有下辈子的话 可以的话还是再谈一次吧哈哈哈 这次久一点 久到我们都老的掉牙哈哈哈哈 求求了下辈子让我长得好看点在放弃你的这条路上我走的太慢了所以就
n6753
Mar 1, 2021 · Traveled 3 months 8 days
你好未来的何荣
五年后也不知道你会不会还记得我，哈哈，五年前的今天，你不是官宣了嘛，祝你幸福哈。哈哈，终于我也放下了，好开心啊，现在我不会迷茫了，也不会怎么怎么样，我可以告诉你了，每个男孩谈恋爱都是馋你的身字，只是能不能走到最后而已。当你向前走了我为啥还要在原地。我也勇敢了一次。现在的你可能能明白，我当初是咋样的。
n6760
Mar 2, 2021 · Traveled 5 years
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，但是现在的我不这样认为，也许我会失望
n6762
Mar 3, 2021 · Traveled 1 day
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