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一年后的自己
感情的失败不是谁对谁错，你没错，他没错，错的是彼此相遇。“两个没结果的人，为什么要相遇。” 佛说:“你怎知今生的相遇，不是为了弥补曾经的遗憾，说不定今生的相遇是你前世磕破头求来的……”
n8001
2022.06.09
对不起
我好像愈加控制不住我自己了，即使改考笔三。突然发现我好像大k，偏执，简直是神经病，天呐，我怎么会是自己最讨厌的人？刚毕业的我，我让你失望了吗？让朋友失望了吗？让妹妹们失望了吗？
Raven
2015.03.18
可是 离开你谁还把我当小孩
我好想你。可我什么也不能对你说，你知道吗 我每天都在对着你的朋友圈发呆，有时候我好害怕 害怕你官宣了，可能你们已经在一起了吧，只是 我不知道，我有什么资格说这话呢 心好痛，。……
等下完这场雨我就来找你
2024.07.20
日记
2024年9月29号 我想我会放下你的 逼着自己说了很多不愿意的话 我想在你心中我现在非常的不堪 看到我就恶心我觉得也不为过 对你说的对 我不懂珍惜不懂爱也不懂你 希望你快乐
2839657572
2024.09.28
亲爱的，你还好吗
亲爱的，我相信你还在这个世界上吧，毕竟我了解你，我是曾经那个一直想自杀的女孩，自杀这个字眼多不美观。话说你表白成功了吗？亲爱的一定要表白哦，一封情书和当面表白哦，亲爱的加油！
以巳皿杉爷
2015.07.01
你说的对
分分合合三年，把彼此拖得太累太累了，我们是没有再在一起的必要了，分开对你来说是个 很好的解脱，我愿意听你的话，谢谢你愿意陪我那么久，谢谢你今天愿意和我见面，谢谢你爱过我 。
等下完这场雨我就来找你
2024.07.21
这是一种救赎，你必须坚定
你犯了非常严重的错误，希望这封信可以减轻你的罪过，这封信会跟“这个问题你能懂2”同时到达。你在8月8号到8月15号这段时间绝对不能犯戒，这是你的最后机会，你要尽力完成任务。
kctll
2014.08.07
追忆
有时候忘记谁是很难的，我希望这时候的你能忘记他，获得可以爱上谁的能力2017年的我告诉你，这时候我的我还忘不了李雨涵啊，原来的得不到这么痛苦病好了吗，脸上的情况好转了吗
121212on
2017.02.19
(｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ嗨~又五年了
又五年了再是老男人了吧媳妇再娶了吧娃娃也又了吧日子可以了吧保时捷开上了没？要是看见了能回个信最好了这段时间真的好无助好无助都只能和未来的你说话了晚上给梦里给个提示吧哎
n3415
2018.09.10
Simple life
生活不可能像你想象得那么好，但也不会像你想象得那么糟。我觉得人的脆弱和坚强都超乎自己的想象。有时，我可能脆弱得一句话就泪流满面，有时，也发现自己咬着牙走了很长的路。
Simple
2013.04.20
你还好吗
一年后的自己：我昨天分手了，我有点难过。但是大家都说早就该分了，我很疑惑。“一点点温暖，当做爱情。”可能我真的是这样。不管怎么样，多多去看这个世界，过好自己的人生。
霍小宝
2019.01.26
20岁的自己，你还好吗
嗨，你还好吗。20岁的自己，在理想的大学念书吗，有没有乖，有没有过的快乐。我很想你，我是18岁的自己。我现在很不开心呢，抑郁啊，而且学习不给力，你要好好加油哦
钟子玘
2016.04.03
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