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可是 离开你谁还把我当小孩
我好想你。可我什么也不能对你说，你知道吗 我每天都在对着你的朋友圈发呆，有时候我好害怕 害怕你官宣了，可能你们已经在一起了吧，只是 我不知道，我有什么资格说这话呢 心好痛，。……
等下完这场雨我就来找你
Jul 20, 2024 · Traveled 6 months 13 days
Photo letter
你说的对
分分合合三年，把彼此拖得太累太累了，我们是没有再在一起的必要了，分开对你来说是个 很好的解脱，我愿意听你的话，谢谢你愿意陪我那么久，谢谢你今天愿意和我见面，谢谢你爱过我 。
等下完这场雨我就来找你
Jul 21, 2024 · Traveled 6 months 12 days
来自2024的独白
展信佳：现在的你在哪儿呢？在干什么呢？其实我大概是猜得到你在干些什么的，应该在学校上了好一阵子班了。秋招参加了吗？其实我真正想说的是，抛却过去的痛苦以及不如意，接受自己的一切，预计好将来并大胆得去做吧。不用畏手畏脚或者瞻前顾后好吗？本来就没什么可以失去的。之所以给你写信，其实是因为我刚刚的情绪又再次
fifihuang6
Jul 23, 2024 · Traveled 6 months
远离你 一辈子
你为什么要这么说呢。你根本不明白我有多想离你近点，多希望你能好好的别老是想着去死。你死了 那我呢 我怎么办
等下完这场雨我就来找你
Jul 27, 2024 · Traveled 6 months 6 days
亲爱的小孩，有没有幸福
今天突然收到了19年写的信，我靠，一晃这么多年了，其实现在我都没有去学画画，也没写小说，怨恨过父母，自卑过自己。我都高三毕业了，其实那时候写，克制了很多，现在想想，或许自己从来没有变，好胜，今年，离开了曾经的朋友，翻着以前的照片，讽刺，难过，后悔，都有吧，但我知道即便重来，我还是会选择说再见，好像面
朵朵要长高鸭
Aug 1, 2024 · Traveled 1 day
最好的我们
有好些天没有给你写了吧，我以为自己心态平稳些了呢，梦见你的时候才发觉自己的坚强不堪一击，其实还是蛮痛的哈哈哈。要一直向前不要停止脚步，窗外的风景才会越来越美好，家庭给你带来的困扰是你前进的垫脚石，伟灵 不要停下来。过几天就是立秋了啊，真快，我们 我们的最后一个夏天 就要结束了。
等下完这场雨我就来找你
Aug 3, 2024 · Traveled 5 months 30 days
给半个月后的小雅写一封信
亲爱的小雅：见字如晤，顺颂秋安！ 嗯...这这封信写给半个月之后的你，不知道半个月之后的我们怎么样了呢？是朋友还是考虑再发展成恋人？ 可能这是最后一次也恋人的方式给你写信。 今天凌晨呢，你跟我说对我没感觉了，我当然很伤心，遂转念一想，你至少进步了，你能把自己心里的想法告诉我了，那我哪能拒绝你呢，对不
915222610
Aug 16, 2024 · Traveled 15 days
我该怨你吗
昨天 我翻了你的日记簿，看到了你写过的东西，开心的难过的，还有 我们分手之前，你跟你男同学的聊天内容，等我晚上再去翻的时候 关于他的内容 已经没有了，可能是你发现我了吧，也不知道自己该不该怨你呢，最该被怨的是我才对吧。又清醒又痛苦 我不想活了
等下完这场雨我就来找你
Aug 17, 2024 · Traveled 5 months 16 days
来自2024年的你，请查收
哈喽，这是来自2024年刚满28岁的你。可是今天的你一点也不开心。最近一直在想人活着的意义是什么。年初经历上一段工作的至暗时刻，年中换了新工作，以为能重新开始。但是好像上一个工作给你带来的力不从心还是有所影响。父母给予的压力，以及这些年积蓄的流失，总是让我抓不住努力的理由。如果努力的结果是没有改变，
mengyunwu52
Aug 19, 2024 · Traveled 2 years
一封来自2024年的信
hey，30岁的你还好吗？这是一封来自2024年的信。昨日刚过完28岁的生日，对自己20岁的岁月有点不太满意。有点迷茫，又好似失去生活的意义。昨夜做了一个梦，梦里回到了一直怀念的学生时代。梦见了小学的同学，那个小学大大方方说喜欢自己的人。可是那时候还小，不懂得感情的事，虽然现在也不懂哈哈哈。我已经不
mengyunwu52
Aug 20, 2024 · Traveled 1 year 11 months
来自橙子的信
你好啊家辉是我橙子，你收到这封信的时候，我们已经分手193天了有没有好好吃饭有没有开心的生活，很抱歉，我不能再陪在你身边了，嘻嘻告诉你个消息，其实我是不孕不育哦不是说不爱你了，我不想连累你，让我任性一回吧，你不要找我，我或许这辈子都不会再谈恋爱了谢谢你感谢你陪伴我的543天谢谢你，你有没有瘦下来，有
1315392836
Aug 29, 2024 · Traveled 4 months 2 days
30岁也不能差不多就行了呀。
好相处 我是真的，喜欢背后蛐蛐别人也是真的。以前也会被传统观念影响，认为一定要结婚生子 稳定的三口之家 心之所向，三十岁之前如何如何...现在既然完全不可能实现了 半躺平（没有全躺平 还是因为有点子不甘心。离婚好不好我给不出答案，但晚婚真的挺好。感情是需要让自己be a better person的
393189002
Sep 9, 2024 · 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