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这时候的我
现在二十岁，虽然很不想承认这个事实，嘿嘿。其实我还是很年轻的啦，有时候可说是幼稚，上了大学，却有很多东西还是不能想得到，像个木鱼脑袋。上了大学，每天过着浑浑噩噩的日子，不思进取，没有强强上进心，只是一点小努力自己就觉得有好满足了，真是不知道为什么可以一直这样生活还厚脸皮的觉得舒适，哈哈，真的服了自己
吴_俊俊俊
Apr 27, 2013 · Traveled 1 year
Photo letter
给未来的你的一封情书
你喜欢上了一个人，而她不喜欢你，你的世界就微缩在对她的感情上了，她的一举手，一投足，衣裙细碎的声响，都足以吸引你的注意力，都能成为你快乐和痛苦的源泉。有时候，你明明知道那不是你的，却想去追求，或可能出于盲目自信，或过于相信精诚所至、金石为开，结果不断的努力，却遭来不断的挫折，弄得自己苦不堪言。世界上
Hardcore_Rap
May 1, 2013 · Traveled 3 years
Photo letter
止于唇齿，掩于岁月，一地落花。
五月的人就像这偏盲的天气一样,初初才有点夏天的燥热却又冷不丁的清冷起来,也许老天也是喜感了这样的冷热频率,你说空调的制冷效果不好,你可以去自己制冷吗?也许只有迷糊之间，大段大段的记忆片段才会潮涌而来，身体虚弱，连带着精神与梦境都开始迷茫。一夜反反复复竟不能自制，已经很久没有过这样难捱的时刻，夜总是不
奕凡
May 22, 2013 · Traveled 10 days
Photo letter
写给迷茫的自己
工作已经快两年半了，当然这个工作不是自己找的，是亲戚介绍的，虽然说没压力，环境又好，人也都挺不错的，但是这不是我自己想要的。虽然想法很多，但是真的自己去做的却没有一件事情是自己去的，担心恐惧和害怕阻挡了我前进的脚步，现在还是在亲戚家那里睡觉吃饭，虽然是比较轻松的，但是随着年龄的长大，发现自己越来越孤
幻想的松鼠
May 24, 2013 · Traveled 7 months 8 days
Photo letter
写给一年厚的自己
怎么说呢...宝贝... 怎么说呢...今天和网宿的大哥大姐小弟小妹玩得还算很开心，确实是很开心，虽然大家都还不怎么认识。其实重点不是这个...回来的时候，钟轶学长和我聊了蛮多的，感觉这世界是...比我想象的大多了~真像我所想的那样子，有些人是你永远也追不上的。有人就说了，为什么要一直追别人呢，为什
fudian
May 26, 2013 · Traveled 1 year
Dear Future Me.
分手快乐。 祝你快乐。 分手快乐。 请你快乐。
暖暖丶ice
May 28, 2013 · Traveled 14 days
给自己
那些年错过的东西就让它逝去吧，没有意义了吧，一个人单方面记住又怎样，能改变什么，只会徒增烦恼与忧伤。曾经美好的东西在只有一个人记住的时候，一切都变得不再美好了。美好的将会变成痛苦的证据。不要想太多不要想太多不要想太多，那你们有没有想过也许是真的因为事情的存在，所以不得不想太多。只是没有人会愿意了解其
aiq小丑鱼
May 28, 2013 · Traveled 3 days
写给未来的…
嗨，3年后的自己：你好！不知现在的你在哪里？过着怎样的生活？还是一个人吗？因为这是你的愿望。还是已经被家里逼的结婚了呢？我想不可能，这不像你的性格，你一定会逃婚，这可不是第一次了，你总是那么的不服气，一定要掌握自己的命运并安排自己的生活，并要心中所要的爱情，3年前的今天，岁月跟爱情开了个玩笑，让你爱
初见Susu
May 29, 2013 · Traveled 3 years
快被遗忘的时光
差不多把这里忘了。今天查看邮箱看到激活邮件才又进来。时间过得好快啊，已经过去一个多月了。其实，真的不知道要说些什么。没有写日记的习惯。好像生活也没有什么值得记录的事情。记得自己有建一个文件夹名字叫“ZMJ的时光记事”，却没有留下任何一个词语。是该说我懒呢，还是说我的生活就是这么平淡？我是一个不快乐的
zzzzzzzMINGJU
Jun 2, 2013 · Traveled 1 day
给未来的自己
现在在深圳找工作，原来现在才知道，别人为什么说找工作压力会很大，一般的不会去，好的公司不要，好纠结啊，老乔，我想说，最近想你了，可能因为压力大了吧，想你，可你却又不在，有时候忽然会意识到，原来我们真的不可能了。突然觉得，，，爱情，遥不可及。或许上天是想让我面对，想让我回宁波面对现实，要不然也不会在不
浮生v未央
Jun 6, 2013 · Traveled 5 years
都过去了，未来会更好
今天六月十号，下雨了，心情好难过。。。。。我是一个把感情看得很重的一个人，感情至上。在爱情里，总会有些人是拿来成长的。 过去的不再回来，回来的不在完美。应该放下有些事情了。和你分开后，感觉自己已经不是小孩子了，应该学成长，应该学会成熟了。谢谢你教会我了一些东西。
JXLW的小窝
Jun 10, 2013 · Traveled 1 day
写给未来的自己
心受伤了，很疼是不是。记得以后无论在什么样的情况下都不可以在这么肆无忌惮的付出自己的感情，不为其他，除了父母谁也不值得你用伤害自己来换取。心烦了就出去散散心干点别的事情，很有用的。加油吧，这次无论结局如何你是真的长大了。自信的对待身边一切，你有这能力！
妮儿啊妮儿
Jun 12, 2013 · Traveled 18 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