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小安
赖瓜子，19年你考上了大学，谁能想到这些年发生了那么多事，一堆么屁眼的麻烦事儿，很难受啊！慢慢熬过了一些事情，但是留下的后遗症更难受。20年六月，你认识了初恋，跟她无话不谈，依旧还是那个只爱别人从不爱自己的你。两年后都你，一定要实现彻底的蜕变，不管从内心还是外表！加油，我相信你。
Anton_AiLi
2020.06.26
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
2013.06.12
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
2024.08.03
正念对我的帮助
我参加正念课最初是为了缓解压力，因为要读语言班。现在学到了呼吸正念法与身体扫描，烦躁时能快速平静。练习时虽会走神，但接纳后反而更易专注，也为此减少了娱乐时间。后续我会每天抽5分钟做呼吸正念，日常也会在吃饭、走路时保持觉察，虽然练习枯燥，但为了提升专注力还是会努力坚持的！！！✊
941720715
2025.09.08
对未来的不确定性产生恐惧
这两天爸爸可能就要走了，虽然我不是很喜欢他，但是想到即将失去这么一个亲人我的心还是很痛。他走之后，哥哥那边少了财务上的资助，未来会怎样？其实我也好不到哪去，如要期货上再赚不到大钱，我该如何面对未来的生活？我不愿意没有尊严的苟延残喘。希望明年这个时候我不用再为钱犯愁了。
绽放
2018.01.24
今天社团招新
你今天的心情怎么样，还会时不时的精神内耗与自我猜忌吗？虽然现在的我还是会胡思乱想，陷入自我怀疑跟孤独落寞的情景中，但我还是希望未来的我能够多在意点自己的感受，不去过多在乎其他人的目光，我想你能过的比现在的我好一点再好一点，就算是孤身一人也没事的，不要再自卑与迷茫。
穗穗平安
2024.10.27
波哥你好
大二快结束了，我此刻感觉还不如不读的好，我感觉大家在躲着我，我也不敢找他们谈话，每每深夜来临我都无比自责，算了不说了，不知道二十年后你还在用这个qq吗，希望吧，我想找你聊天，但有些话当时又难说出口，只是希望大家都能更好，我也能活的更好，更精彩，好想大家现在生活好累
mila
2018.06.11
一封来自2024年02月09日的信
所有人都祝你新年快乐 但我要对你说 不快乐也没关系 焦头烂额也没关系 只希望你在你的世界里 活得逍遥舒心 永远有选择 可选 永远有退路 可退 希望你不再抗拒突如其来的坏情绪 每天都比昨天更坚强 每天都比昨天更独立 希望你能发自内心的认同自己 和自己和解
1348423447
2024.02.09
啊
现在很是困苦，爱情何去何从，事业在什么方向？不知道该怎么办。。。在云南，有点儿待不下去了我该怎么办倩洁天天跟我生气，什么事都不给我说我快郁闷死了现在还在旅舍这里待着，赚不到钱我跟倩洁该怎么办？她很好，就是太消极，跟她在一起久了怕是要疯掉我还是舍不得离开真心舍不得
n1414
2016.04.01
小破孩
学苏 ： 把头发扎高,把零食丢掉,把手机放下,把眼泪擦干,别折腾自己了,姑娘你还有未来
n264
2014.05.12
写给未来的…
2016年11月29号，他的生日，也算是跟他正式分手的日子。2017年6月30日，他在微信晒出来婚纱照，我才真是感到分手的心痛，以后他对我的好就都会变成对那个女人。我也该想着重新开始了，他没什么好，希望以后不会后悔我当初的选择。
蔚蓝天空有点灰
2017.07.15
加油(ง •̀_•́)ง
我生来就是高山而非溪流，我欲于群峰之巅俯视平庸的沟壑。我生来就是人杰而非草芥，我站在伟人之肩藐视卑微的懦夫！我是抵御寒冷的烈焰，破晓时分的光线，唤醒死者的号角，守护王国的铁卫。我生来就是阿尔卑斯山而不是卑微的小溪！我生来就是英雄，不是一片容易腐烂的草叶
2501755182
2024.03.21
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