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
治愈明天的你
亲爱的自己：你好！不知道今天的你是否鼓动明天的你继续前行，今天的你想着谁，明天的你是否还依然想着，今天的你是否见到想见到的人，明天的你是否继续憧憬能否见到你所想的人...不知道明天迎接你的是什么，路漫长长，我希望你要天天快乐，不要放弃。
鸥哥
2019.10.24
MORDRED默
2013年9月14号出了车祸自己开的车可惜的是我没死那我就要更好的活下去！或许只有经历了生死才会更懂得珍惜了。留下的不该是后怕，应该是新的规划！徘徊生死间，幸运降临，即使灾随之福。抛下琐事视为回忆，写下今日为以后所回忆！伤心总是难免的。
n193
2013.09.16
小宇 随机投递
小宇 当你收到这封信，我们已经真正分开六个月了何为真正分开？大概是面对复合我真的无能为力，把你微信删了的时候吧。你或许早就已经把我忘记了，其实这真的挺好的。我们相遇是缘分 分开是世间情之常态 “两情若是久长时，又岂在朝朝暮暮？”
冷逸飞
2025.10.18
过的还好吗 轉眼
给三年后的自己 过的还好吗 有没有找到自己真正想要的生活 有没有遇见合适的人 三年前的今天 你正式分手了 没有以前那些不舍 感觉好像什么都没发生一样 不知道三年时间里会不会和好 不管怎么 都祝三年后的自己能幸福 如果还能快乐那就更好了
n5911
2020.11.28
现在的你好了吗？
事情已经过去三个半月了，你应该好很多了吧，你会像刚开始那样吗？你说过要考公务员，你要要好好努力！事业才是你的一切，你已经失去了很多了，只要你拥有好事业，你就能挽回曾经的你，忘了她，她不会是你的，有更好在等你，加油！加油！你还有家人。
ZWH1011
2013.04.17
写给未来的…
三年前的我给你写了这封信，你也许还在低谷期，你也许有了家庭，记住你身为一个男人，一定要一直保持大度，你有责任和义务照顾好你的家庭，妻子，孩子，家人是你生活和工作的动力，给妻子一个拥抱，继续勇敢，坚强的生活下去，记住，明天会更好。
舒子声87766
2021.01.12
如果可以，请你坚持
滚凡滨你知道吗 今天的你又失败了，就连想死的心都有了，不知道现在的你是否在为未来焦虑啊，也不知道你是否还在为高考而后悔高考，希望未来的我啊，能有一颗平常心吧❤多读书，多看报，少吃零食，多睡觉💤噢!对了，是否还记得今天是谁的生日
dasabi
2026.04.29
陪伴
我这段时间一直一个人，看到电视里面的大家都好开心的在一起，哎，有人一起工作，不会这么lonely了吧，今天我有个想法，我真的闲得受不了了，我宁愿有个人推着自己做事，希望自己活着可以对社会做点贡献的事情，我的24岁不应该被浪费
james
2014.05.18
给一年后自己
一年时间过去了，你是否还能想起她，今天咱姐说梦见她了，是想见，但不能见，太丢人了，这五千想给他，今年希望你把这个钱给他，13385386834我想删了，希望明年和王有个好结果吧！，祝明年开开心心，不再因为感情问题睡不着觉了
2088127298
2024.10.22
现在你还好吗
不知道收到信的时候是否结束了内耗。你们还在没在一起。就算已经结束这段感情。希望你不要因为失去而感到悲伤，结果不重要，重要的是你们曾经用力的相爱，至少当时的你，是感谢他的陪伴的。同是也希望这个时候的你，是开心的，自信的。
416891428
2024.09.26
我坚持，我胜利✌
加入薄荷阅读前，我准备了许久，思想斗争了许久，就怕自己因为繁忙的工作，繁琐的家事，不能坚持下来。现在终于到100天了，我要狠狠地表扬一下自己，我能坚持，我能努力。阅读给我带来安逸和快乐，助我扩充词汇量。谢谢薄荷阅读!
n3481
2018.10.20
2024.7.13
灵灵 我考了460，我走了一条自己想走的路，可是，我再也没有你 了，我心好痛亲爱的～回忆我们共同走过的曲折～是那些带我们 来到了这一刻～让珍贵的人生有失有得～也开始有个人 为你守护着～我该心安或是 心痛呢～
等下完这场雨我就来找你
2024.07.13
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
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