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写给未来的大宝贝
亲爱的大宝贝： 按照惯例问候一下，小宝贝现在过的怎么样呀，麻麻姐姐都挺好的吧~嘤，宝贝应该还是喜欢我的吧，当然我还是超级超级超级喜欢你哒。（突然发现叫宝贝有点不好，呜呜你知道哒！我现在并不想要在咱们美好的回忆中留下不好的东东！）嘿嘿，我为什么想要写这封信呢，还不是我的刀收不到嘛（bushi），就是想
刈sin
Dec 12, 2021 · Traveled 2 years
未来的自己
未来的自己你好，我是2021.12.14时的自己，现在的我一事无成，低不成高不就，做着一份并不喜欢的工作，现在的自己经济实力不允许，只能靠一份稳定的工作勉强糊口。现在的我刚成家半年，却不能给自己的爱人和家人一个很好的生活环境。希望将来的你可以实现经济自由，想做什么做什么，有自己喜欢的房子、车子，常带
n7593
Dec 14, 2021 · Traveled 4 years 2 months
还好吗
寄出去的投稿全部渺无音讯，后续的补考或重修令人烦恼不堪，身处音乐学院却没有物质条件去学习真正想学的器乐，CET和普通话来年再考一次，驾照已经无所谓了，过不了就那样吧，反正也买不起车，不想结婚，也不想被人猜疑，毕业后就去打工，也不知道哪里要我，我刷盘子都被父母说不利索。但是你活着，还没到时候。痛苦没有
n7594
Dec 14, 2021 · Traveled 26 days
给一年后的我
此刻是2021年12月19日晚上18：27。很冷。我在自己的房间里，开了空调。今年——2021年——我很不好。上海辞职回来后，这三年一直郁郁寡欢。8月初，我被在一起快一年、真心对待的天蝎男甩了。好几个月没缓过来。11月底，开车路上突然心绞痛，幸好自己叫了救护车。接着大半个月都胸闷气短。健身也早就放弃
sqy飞
Dec 19, 2021 · Traveled 1 year
李纪芳
李纪芳，新年快乐，谢谢你的喜欢，但也跟你说声对不起，我那时候的幼稚，和一些坏毛病也给你带来了不开心，也给我们两个人都整的很累，但都互相真心的喜欢过，也许我的喜欢实在是太沉重了，喜欢的太紧了，对不起啊，今天也是失眠的一天，我也希望是最后一天失眠。终于要释怀了，真的轻松了许多。遇见你，付出过全部，也爱到
用户6455698117
Jan 4, 2022 · Traveled 28 days
未来的文涛
原来爱情只是贫贱夫妻百事哀，最后落得一地鸡毛。累吧，越来越觉得恋爱没有意义。我只是很不明白，为什么现在的我如此困惑和迷茫。 我害怕，我理智，我不再往结婚那个方向去想了。怀疑一旦产生，罪名就已成立。我过好自己的日子就行，找个班上，买着社保，一个月存2000。 如果回到一个人孤军奋斗的日子，那么恋爱毫无
wuli纯纯的巧克力牛奶
Jan 12, 2022 · Traveled 8 months 19 days
写给三年后的自己
两年前我给你写了这封信 你现在二十岁了吧 应该有在好好生活 我不确定这两年时间里能有什么变故 或许你处于人生的低谷 但是 你要记得现在的我 希望你能真正开心起来 做自己想做的事 不要因为别人的看法就改变自己 坚持自己的原则 底线 就做自己 别怕别人不理解你 十八岁的你因为这些苦恼 以后就不要了 人生
n7671
Jan 24, 2022 · Traveled 2 years
生而为人，我很抱歉。
时间回到去年那个夏天，佩服那个为了实现梦想而义无反顾的自己。那一年，终于实现了多年来未曾去实现的理想，去了一次上海，时间很短，但是也很充足，东方明珠，一大旧址，朵云书院，失恋博物馆等等。对于一个已经患有轻度抑郁的我来说。旅游真的比在家里窝着要好很多，虽然依旧无法说服自己，在工作和感情上同时受伤时的带
思绪开始停留2412
Feb 14, 2022 · Traveled 4 months 3 days
写给一个独立勇敢坚定的女孩
收到这封信时是新年的第一天，按照你大学放假的速度，你应该是在家里醒来然后坐在马桶上亦或是坐在餐桌前背单词时打开了这封信。看这个时间我想你心里所有的渴望，所有的执念应该都有了结果了，可以提前问一句吗？你拿到公派了吗？我觉得你应该拿到了吧，因为曾经的你那么渴望这个机会，在走向你的过程中她一定拼尽了全力吧
n7778
Mar 10, 2022 · Traveled 9 months 22 days
2022年12月31日
今年的最后一天了，你过得怎样，我应该已经找到了工作了。然后应该去相亲了吧，很遗憾今年的夏天、秋天、冬天没有和你在一起度过如果没有这样的事情发生，今年美好的12月份我们会很幸福吧，还是可以去嘉里中心看圣诞树，以及对面的星巴克。可是今年我要一个人去完成啦。先这样吧，我们都缓缓，你想想你的问题我想想我的问
爱拍照的叶叶子
Apr 29, 2022 · Traveled 8 months 2 days
2023.1.26
2022年的我因为任性 放任自己有做过我后悔的事情我真的不明白很多时候自己到底想要做什么或者明白我怎么活着我很多时候觉得我算很自在的可我想躺平却又不想无法入睡而此刻我最想做的就是我不敢我没有义无反顾的勇气不敢跟你说或者应该说我到底是因为太注意了才会觉得我可能会出现这种情况还是我是真的也许也许只是我自
想去北极的小企鹅
Jun 9, 2022 · Traveled 7 months 17 days
一年后的自己
感情的失败不是谁对谁错，你没错，他没错，错的是彼此相遇。“两个没结果的人，为什么要相遇。” 佛说:“你怎知今生的相遇，不是为了弥补曾经的遗憾，说不定今生的相遇是你前世磕破头求来的……”
n8001
Jun 9, 2022 · Traveled 11 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