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写给我自己的一封信 v6
发发转眼间，已经十几号了，三月份了我今天是真的崩溃了，真的崩溃了真的崩溃了应该是起源是因为我在工作中的一件事情没有做好然后慢慢的我觉得自己什么都做不好我的感情谈不好，我的事业做不好，我的兼职做不好，我的健康管理不好，心情管理不好什么都不好，我很累，我很无助我觉得自己没有希望怎么样
令狐天都
2023.03.14
“预见未来的你
现在是2021年的6月5号 下午2点06分现阶段的我仍处于工作迷茫期，毫无起色。生活可以说是一塌糊涂，只有简单的轮廓规划，还没有付诸行动。_...... 其实我已经有在努力的改变了，只是取得的初步效果不是很明显。可以说正在挣扎当中。但是啊 我相信 现在的你应该已经摆脱了这样的困境
预见
2021.06.05
为了爱，写给未来的自己
冬至，深夜，一颗孤独的心。失落中，我写了这封信给未来的自己。最近，我的脑海里都是你的身影，挥之不去。你的笑，你的声音，你有道疤痕却不失性感的唇。2017年10月14日，老门东。于你，是一次大冰忠实读者交流会；于我，却是一次对你心生情愫以致我无法面对自己的旅程。坦白说，我不喜欢这样
Cheng_Chen
2017.11.07
写给辰辰辰的一封信
现在是20171282205，我总是担心自己哪天遭遇不测，总是在想我死了父母怎么办?甚至想给自己买一份意外保险，常常一个人在想这些问题，使自己充满了不安。搬去新“家”，吾有感觉：完了，这次我恐怕要死在这了?未曾想到?我姥娘却得了肺癌，我每次搬家俺必得病，想起那年夏天我生病住院姥娘
n1856
2017.01.08
HZT
还在喜欢他吗？但一定记得喜欢过他吧。 因为他有过很丰富的情绪。哭过，笑过，起伏过。是因为真的很喜欢很喜欢，不管现在是不是还在喜欢，只是希望自己可以记住那段时间起起伏伏的心绪，挺美好的。 最喜欢叫他HZT，是因为最喜欢他那时候的姿态。热血，坚强，勇敢，有着不顾一
Tinmo
2013.03.02
19/3/19
19/3/19最近眼部有些感染，用眼过度，有些难受。人逐渐步入20，内心确确实实有着些许的寂寞，下周一科目二的补考，自己觉得因该可以通过，毕竟挂过一次，有些经验了今天又看了看将近一年前的邮箱，发现我和她聊天居然有了13页的邮箱聊天来往记录，居然有那么多。上周一高中朋友来了武汉，一
n4126
2019.03.19
臭猪
嘿嘿，还记得我嘛，时间过去这么久了呢，记得你懵懵懂懂刚开始喜欢我的样子，连抱我一下都会那样呢，但是今天是我和你告别的日子，虽然没有毕业，但我很失望，我第一次这么用心喜欢一个男孩子，你让我受伤了，不怪你，怪我太傻，闹了很多次，大家都很不高兴，我以为你会像我一样，把你划进我的未来，但
n5961
2020.11.28
你好
辛儿你好我现在很压抑压到喘不过气不知道怎么做才算正确懵懵懂懂出来打工已近六年学到了什么 改变了什么经历了什么只能说往事不堪回首做错的于错过的太多太多不应该这样讲只要是错过 都是我做错了从来都不敢回想自责 自责自责到不去想为止我不怨天尤人都只是怪自己我不是一 正直 明事理
小破孩155
2015.11.19
最近你还好么
其实写这封信之前我很不知所措，我也不太会说话，今年是2020年，也就是3年前的你写信给现在的你，说实在的挺讽刺的啊，我不能决定我的未来，我也不想决定一些现在想做的事，只能随波逐流。我也不知道未来的自己在3年后依旧是单身还是已经是别人的妻子，手上或者心里有想保护或者想珍惜的人，说不
萬年輪迴待妳踏雪歸
2020.09.10
写给未来的…
今天，20191010.我不想现在跟你讨论什么东西，我的情绪做不到，只能放在两个月后。我图你什么，图你忽冷忽热，图你让我受尽委屈，图你让我胡思乱想吗，我该不该告诉你，我可能怀孕了，你会在乎吗，你不会，你都不爱我，还会爱我的孩子吗，我自己看着验孕棒一深一浅两道杠，无助又害怕，我该向
付丹丹
2019.10.10
写给未来的张娜
不知道还能不能收到这一封信，大概可能吧，过的还好吗，还会焦虑没有精神逃避现实想要自杀吗。不知道还能不能活到三年后，时间太快了可能一眨眼就像断了绳的线一下便过去了，会有人希望我好起来吗，会有人带我逃离这个糟糕的样子吗，过了三年后已经是21岁了吧，其实我一点也不想长大，可时间一点一点
n7119
2021.05.20
2019424323 张晋鹏 经管1903
十年后的自己: 你好吗？过的怎么样？为了生活而忙碌还是自由自在无拘无束？你足够优秀吗？你有底气够资格对你所爱的那个人说声我爱你呢？现在我真的很讨厌我自己，活在一张面具之下，做着自己讨厌的不喜欢的但又不得不去做的事情。现在的我好累好累，一天天碌碌无为，只会一
用户7329599627
2019.10.28
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