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你还好吗
现在是凌晨4点，你一无所有，没有梦想，没有目标，没有动力，浑浑噩噩，现在的你有在努力工作吗，你拥有理想了吗 2016年3月29日
Zz
2016.03.29
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
n7496
2021.10.28
66666
朋友圈里某个美女，以后不打扰你了，也不主动找你了，刚刚我的心确实难受了，我对你是有好感，我一直有控制我的感情，不敢对你太投入，而你的心里根本没有我，你好好在朋友圈里滴 cp 吧，就此别过吧，整个朋友圈我只对你一个人有感觉，难道你心里就不明白吗，不然我整天闲的来这里发癫，我不会跑别
2460438017
2025.06.16
对不起
小祖宗，我好想你啊，这次啊，我是真的不想读书了，我想辍学了，我这样的人配不上你，现在嘛，才开学一个月，我就请了家长两次了，我新买了一个手机，然后这周考试嘛，我带去作弊了，被人举报了，手机也没了，又要请家长，我真的受不了了，我觉得自己就是家里的累赘，如果没有我，我爸爸他们现在就不会
Redundancy08239
2021.03.25
一个月后的朱文萱
写的时候是11.28号这玩意应该能准时到吧咱也没用过祝你跨年快乐反正要不你看完呗这不也是你自己的选择嘛，咱尊重你的选择反正你闺蜜不也这样嘛，在学校有个人对你好能照顾你多好呀，对不起啊不是故意说你闺蜜的别生气要是准时的话也应该一个月了，我必然走出来了，反正也已经适应了几天了，咱不打
用户5702079032
2020.11.28
今天 别对不起自己
今天别对不起自己，碌碌无为了几天，每天睡觉占据了大量时间 而自己想做的事又中断下来 自己离梦想渐行渐远 什么时候自己能专心做一件事的时候 离梦想就不远了还是不甘心 ，大学读的遗憾 ，大学读的委屈，大学读的让自己接受不了，对自己未来迷茫，变得开始浮躁 ，什么事都想做，什么事都做不成
朱大傻
2013.04.27
介子
我记性不好，害怕忘记全世界对不起，还不如说对不起自己。一个傻呼呼地自己，一路成长，到了今日，还是会犯很多错误，不断的让自己心灵身体受到大大小小的刺激。 害怕抛于脑后，接受宽恕自己。 人若管不住自己，得不到真正的自由。 希望自己能够明白。作为朋友，我也体恤自己受过的委
n1882
2017.01.23
写给100天后的自己
毕业六年多了，从参加工作，到结婚，到生子，我的分身在不断的发生着变化。不知不觉间时间在流逝，我每天都说工作忙，照顾孩子，可是就是没有拿出一点点时间学习英文，英文的半瓶醋状态真是我的心头恨，每次都想提起精神来学一学，但每次都没有行动。这段迷茫的时期突然让我有了重拾英语的冲动，正好又
n3975
2019.01.13
写给未来的…
处女之词该给 启蒙老师我是黄昏时分的电线错落是任劳任怨仍端上餐桌的那头黄牛是无偿肉便器情绪克制机是临刑还在祷告的教徒归心是永远为你向阳的葵花是来回唤回打趣的流浪狗是暴雨墙角水珠彻夜滴落着眼睁睁容忍你磨灭我吞噬我冷落我爱你是如此的艰难曲折还是奋不顾身的甜笑着后来也曾光芒四射为爱俯
n6954
2021.04.16
给彼时彼刻的你
不知道那时你还会记得此时此刻的心情如何和种种，甜蜜又忧伤的度过了五月，六月又面对了一些不知所措的抉择。其实，在人生路口，我们都是不经意的做出了改变一生的决定。我想要告诉自己，迷茫不可怕，人生就是在这一路的探求之中才会发现自我本真。不知道未来如何时，那便暂且放到一边，不去理会。内心
周天天的南瓜车
2018.06.14
炸毛
斐，我是2020年11月 27号的你，2021年了吧，你过得怎么样，你的压力减小了吗，你还记得他嘛，现在的我刚分手一个多月，每天都在回忆过去，觉得时间太慢，日子太难熬，非常想念18年的创意居。好想时间过得快一点啊，好想你快点收到这封信，听说今年是个寒冬，不知道真的假的。是真的吗？
炸毛
2020.11.27
20年后
你好吗？今天天气好吗？好好吃饭了吗？大家都变成中年人了，人生好短暂，最多只能写到20年后，本来有好多话想说，好多好奇的事，但是未来已经很陌生了..........分离的时间超过了在一起的时间，其实在一起的时间短的像是做梦一样，只是我是真的喜欢过，付出过，也哭了好久好久，这个是你体
abnormalxx
2021.11.18
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