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写给未来可能活着的自己
第二封信了，累，，，突然想到我可能活不到5年后，何必了，，，写这么多干什么，，，等着人看我邮箱理解我吗？ 说不定看了更不理解我了，说实话我也不奢望理解，说不定他会笑着看这封信，，，
n5052
2020.06.25
爱的人
突然想起某个人，真的很伤心，在最需要我的时候却没能去保护她，不能怪她现在恨我什么，我想都是我必须所承受的，因为是我欠她的，希望以后的我能好好的默默的照顾她，希望她能遇见一个真正爱她的，快乐健康的成长。
幻想的松鼠
2013.08.05
第19天
茫茫碌碌却好高兴，早上的一切全在午后阳光的倾泻后明朗，我说过人生总是好多惊喜和愉悦，我总是来不及反应，至少希望默默的用一切在继续努力，还要好多好多是你不知道的事但却在我心里慢慢补充正能量的第十九天，晚安
M先生也会特别喜欢巨蟹
2013.03.18
第天
茫茫碌碌却好高兴，早上的一切全在午后阳光的倾泻后明朗，我说过人生总是好多惊喜和愉悦，我总是来不及反应，至少希望默默的用一切在继续努力，还要好多好多是你不知道的事但却在我心里慢慢补充正能量的第十九天，晚安
M先生也会特别喜欢巨蟹
2013.03.18
2025 6 2
家里人还好吗，那几只猫和乌龟怎么样了，之前那个明月照我心的找到他了吗，那几个网友还在联系吗，妈的检查结果出来了没，放不下那些东西，希望一切都好起来，也希望回到过去，总是放不下一些事物，可能以后会好点把
3554739190
2025.06.02
眼睛
最近有点累，眼睛越来越糟糕了。到底是永远近视比较好，还是来个十几年好眼睛然后恶化比较好呢？我很希望用自己的眼睛来看世界，但是我也知道。手术后遗症很严重而且我有个疑问我的眼睛会不会一直近视到失明的程度、
时以思念
2016.03.15
未来的你，还好吗？
最近的你还好吗？2023本命年的你还挺好的！不过年尾不太好哦！一直在生病了！还很迷茫！两年后的你在哪里呢？那个城市呢？还迷茫吗？身体健健康康嘛！还开心吗～有钱了嘛哈哈哈啊哈哈！一定要健康！喜乐呀！
想吃口饱饭
2024.01.16
波波
宫崎骏曾经说过 当陪你的那个人 要下车时 即使你在不舍 你也要心存感激 挥手告别 没个人的故事 开头都是极具温柔的 但往往故事的结尾都配不上整个开头 记住 没一个意难平的结果 都是我们最好的结局。
n6009
2020.11.29
写给未来的…
我想你了，不是说今天我想你了，而是现在我憋不住了。风和日暖，令人想永远活下去。世界上好人不少，我不想做好人，也不想做坏人，只想做你的心上人，你要是愿意，我便永远爱你。可你不愿意！写在放弃你的第三天
付丹丹
2019.10.16
Are you ok?
这段时间你辛苦了知道你已经尽力了你也比以前更懂事了对于哥哥的感情你很遗憾是因为觉得自己不够勇敢那就给自己一个机会去争取去爱去挥霍去疯狂爱的人要想办法留在身边听着，是你先放弃所以要把他追回来
alohayou
2013.03.29
不害怕任何考试
今年单位有一个出国学习的机会，在筛选人员名单考试中，我落选了，因为太久没接触英语了，我感觉非常失落，所以我决定要好好学习英语，战胜自己，将来有一天能骄傲地站在别人面前说出一口流利的英语！
n2912
2018.04.25
好久没写，用来亲吻岁月中可人的自己
我好久没用这个给自己写信了，最近的自己有些盲目和消极。工作不稳定，于是辞职，也没有再稳定的寻找，我觉得我活在自己的世界中太投入了，与身边的人变得格格不入，有些脱离。以上是在此之前…接下来
赵凌的围脖
2015.11.18
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