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不想继续了
嗨，亲爱的自己： 今天是2018年03月01日，很久没有再向自己说话了，想念未来的你。你与他，突然间写着你与他的故事，忽然间，你好像喜欢不起来，爱不起来了，等想回忆的时候再来写吧。
你在有海的地方
2018.03.02
你曾经想做的，做到了吗？
“不可能”这三个字，你说的太多了！配得上自己的梦想吗?还没开始就要放弃了吗?你这么怂比吗?你对得起谁?活下去,要站在最顶层望着那些曾经瞧不起你的人。抑郁症又怎么样？你没死，就别把自己当废物。麦当说过的话,都不记得了吗？“给我高高的飞起来啊！！！！”
n2616
2018.02.02
写给未来的…
一开始就也觉得没什么，天天跟我在一块还要带俩僚机，找我也要带僚机，就好像为她做那么多还没那狐朋狗友重要，还有个蓝颜他妈玩的可好了，后来有一天我一烦就吼她闺蜜了，然后她跟她闺蜜就不说话了她那以后就只跟着我了，没过俩月又以前那样了，然后就天天不在一块了
n1296
2016.01.08
写给自己的一封信
现在的我过得很悲惨，每天感觉毫无意义，痛不欲生，还好今天之后一切会结束，不知道以后会怎样，会变好吗？我马上要把这段时间熬过来了，以后就靠你了，一定要未了自己这是一段刻苦铭心的日子，以后别再重演，好好生活未了以后，一定要浴火重生寄语为了自己好好加油
陈秋明
2021.05.16
三个月后的你，一定会开心地生活的！
知道你自己现在度过一段很艰难的时间，理智和冷静告诉我要怎么做，但控制情绪这件事，有时候好像大脑真的管不住。没关系，现在自己已经很清楚不是为他难过，确实不值得啊！再给自己两三天时间，为自己难过。但我相信，三个月后的我肯定又回归开心独立有思想的我了！
n4013
2019.02.16
2018年9.7
这一天，我和狗子吵架了，这一切看似突然，其实在我的意料之中。我的病太严重了，已经到了无可挽回的地步。我只希望自己能快点好起来。我这样下去，会害了很多人，我觉着我伤害了狗子，事情突然就发生了。我这几天都在演戏，假装没有她我会很开心。真的，太累了。
n3411
2018.09.08
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
2024.08.17
写给未来的自己
hi 我是2023的自己 现在是凌晨2：32的晚上 这一年我过得很差 我的睡眠很浅 熬了一整年的夜生了很多病当然也包括分手 我不知道现在的你身边有没有其他人的陪伴 我希望你过的很好 在写这封信的时候我满脑子都是想的他 你应该不会了吧 三年了
hivirus
2023.01.15
来自2025年06月11日的问候
此刻应是第366次日落～当初看到你官宣的瞬间， 我心脏漏跳的那一拍—— 刚好补上初见你时多跳的那一拍。//过去这段时间，写了好长的小作文，养成了写日记的习惯哈哈，不给你看咯，回忆都是美好的，就到这吧，以后不再打扰了，这是最后的告别了🤝勿回
1102154749
2025.06.11
希望你开心一点
今天的你，发现了两个残酷的事情，一个你喜欢上了别人，另一个，你们之间没有结果。希望在明年的现在，你能找到自己的方向，能有钱，能学会去爱，能活着，求你，活着！多笑笑！就算他们都不喜欢你！起码，一年前的你喜欢，请活下来，笑着！求你，求你，求你！
守卫心中殿堂
2020.07.08
写给未来的…
亲爱的自己，此时此刻你正在做什么呢？身边有没有人给你庆祝生日呢，我想你应该有工作吧，在奋斗吧。如果此时的你正处于低谷，请不要气馁，继续加油努力，也许我还是没男朋友，but so what?我还是可以放声大笑，好好生活，相信一切都会好起来的。
一只在彷徨中奋斗的猪
2016.07.25
你拿在手里的火把之微弱光芒已经成长为了驱散世间黑暗的光芒
以前发生过什么 已经不再重要了 你终于明白自己要做什么了 不满足于有限的生命 将从此刻开始的所见都纳入囊中 将时空扭转 去爱逝去的 存在于每一处 存在于每一刻 然而你还是不觉完美 你要见证所有的可能性 一切皆是我 我即是一切
Elkhar
2023.04.01
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