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写给一个月后的自己
早就知道这天迟早会来，只是一直期待说不定他是特别的。自从前几天半夜醒来也在想着分手这件事，我就知道不远了吧。所谓的花，也不过是想试试他在不在乎我的感受而已，答案是不太在乎的。以前还说是忽冷忽热，最近是真的觉得，就一直冷而已。也想过可能他性格如此，但他跟广豪他们一起明显就很兴奋很多话。就跟骆桦说的一样
R_Moku
Aug 15, 2021 · Traveled 1 month
你还好吗？
两年后的我，你现在过得好吗？现在的我很糟糕，工作没找到，被迫考研，却一天天静不下心学习，对未来一片茫然。总是会对某些事物产生三分钟的冲动，然后被困难给绊住脚步。我很担心之后会更糟糕。如果你过得还好，全然跨过了这段糟糕的旅途的话，那请相信自己吧，一切你想做的一定能实现的！因为连这糟糕的现在你都跨越了，
存在
Aug 17, 2021 · Traveled 2 years 1 month
郑婷美女
三年前的郑婷你好，我是三年后的你 你看到这封信的时候应该很惊讶，可能想不起来你写的这封信你现在应该是高中毕业现在有没有找到喜欢的男孩子有没有和许子傲还在一起，他对你还好吗？父母身体还健康吗？你病好了吗？有没有自己存钱，还在很消沉的过着每一天吗 如果是的话我希望你重新振作起来 三年前的郑婷虽然成绩不好
我叫布丁布丁布丁布丁布丁
Aug 19, 2021 · Traveled 3 years
Photo letter
你的情感
今天是2022.7.5，距离去年7.5下午5.05表白失败已经过了一年了，希望我刚好能看到。不知道这时候我是怎么样的，是好了一些还是更难受了呢，我在看到这封信的时候一定要答复。2021.8.29凌晨四点的样子，我正因为分班的事情难受了一整晚，于是写下这些希望能给自己一点安慰。我一直希望能在高中，至少
hh2005
Aug 29, 2021 · Traveled 10 months 6 days
Hey man…
你猜怎么着 我看了我18年写给我自己的信 又看了19年写的那一封 发现自己这三年来毫无进步 高中毕业后好像一直都在追着某个姑娘屁股后头跑 真的不喜欢这样一事无成的自己 我恨我自己 我甚至都忘了自己当初的那些目标 仅仅三年而已 就变得如此堕落了 现在大四了 在准备考研 感觉其他事情都该为此让路才对 不
Elkhar
Sep 7, 2021 · Traveled 6 months 22 days
你好，婷婷
你好啊婷婷，两年了你过得怎么样也不知道你现在有没有男朋友过得好不好，也不知道咱们还有联系吗，也不知道我们见面了吗。给你写这封信的时候是我们分手的第1天诶哈哈哈哈我竟然感冒了！我严重怀疑是哭的鼻子堵住了然后感冒了哈哈哈哈不开玩笑了，网上说网恋不可信我反正不太信那个东西的，我不在的日子里你照顾好自己啊真
用户7558078370
Sep 26, 2021 · Traveled 1 year
怎么说，你开始工作了吗？
呐～呐～，这是我此刻凌晨1:40有感而发，迷茫，确实非常的迷茫。工作？找什么工作？稳定工作不好找。不工作？没有稳定收入，一直闲着也不是事儿。 讲真话，现在真的没出息，离不开男人了，牵制了好多。稳定的工作？自己创业？说实话，我感觉自己一无是处。 天呐！2022年崭新的文涛，你现在还迷茫吗？工作找到了吗
wuli纯纯的巧克力牛奶
Oct 10, 2021 · Traveled 2 months 22 days
we are at now
congratulations, you have gone through the hardest time.BK4BvUfAHtDq
ericwu
Oct 18, 2021 · Traveled 1 month 25 days
姐姐
在这里写下这封信，生活真的好累，不知道爸爸能不能收到，你们要是收到这封信，我要是还活着，就装作什么都不知道，要是死了，也别伤心，我这也是给自己解脱了。不是自己太脆弱，只是实在想不到开心的事情你们也别太难受，也不知道会不会难受，真的活着每一秒都好难受，装的很开心，笑得很傻，安眠药买不到，要是没死那也是
n7496
Oct 28, 2021 · Traveled 3 years
写给未来的…
好爱你你和妈妈还有奶奶姐姐，但是这个世界真的好残酷，我想不到一点童年的快乐和长大后的快乐，只知道穷，要好好挣钱，看到这封信的时候，我应该已经死了，要是没死的话，你们都装做不知道，要是死了看下面的不要告诉奶奶，不让她伤心，我真的好爱这个世界，好多地方还没有起，还没有看过海，看过大草原，我真的好留恋，但
n7497
Oct 28, 2021 · Traveled 2 years
写给未来的…
哈喽，三年的后的王梓涵!你在干嘛呢，三年了，你过得好吗，过得怎么样啊，你有忘记2021年5.29号在一起的冯秋笙吗!忘掉了吗忘掉了吗哈哈哈，你还记得你们9.20号分的吗，你有忘记他对你做过的事吗，现在的你过得好吗，有天天开心吗，三年了，你会忘记你之前为他哭吗，他有后悔过吗，他有找过你吗，你拒绝了吧，
用户7725186653
Nov 25, 2021 · Traveled 3 years
回家，是个遥不可及的梦
时间，一下子回到了三年前，想着未来有那么一天，自己可以回到家中，陪伴白发苍苍的父亲，还有一个未来的房子。最近事情有些多，为了自己能够早点休息。于是，每天都在拼命的加班。没有收获，但是也需要付出。尽管如此，我毅然决然选择留了下来，虽然无法说服自己，但是仍然需要骗一骗自己。现在是2021年12月7日。中
思绪开始停留2412
Dec 7, 2021 · Traveled 1 month 26 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