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写给未来的自己
你还好吗？亲爱的自己。我现在回宜川了，新疆的工作辞了，找工作，心情木乱，也不知道一年后的你是否在理想的位置。不管怎样还请你多多爱自己，爱身边的人。努力工作。
借走你所有
2015.09.02
不再浪费每一秒
做你该做的事 才能过你想要的生活 梦是需要现在的努力和汗水的
ellody
2013.03.25
未来
谁无暴风劲雨时，守得云开见明月，你可以不屑一切你要一鸣惊人。未来可期，就是现在一塌糊涂，我仍坚信自己前途无量。他们想把我推向深渊，可谁又知你本就来自哪里。
n4411
2019.10.10
给自己的
我的第几封信已经不知道了，但我的确散发了很多负面情绪，的确，谁会在心情好的时候写呢，我想告诉我自己，平平淡淡普普通通也挺好，希望你在平淡中寻找到一点快乐
mila
2020.03.12
手机密码
这是手机密码总是不自觉玩手机,现在像个傻子一样.不会独立思考.把手机锁住,不能下载软件.网络上乌烟瘴气,不要上网啦.专注与自己.手机密码:574982
v9292
2025.09.04
你好
枝江职教中心分数线给你枝江一中我是抑郁症我是精神分烈症我是内向我是自闭症我是孤独症姓名鲜索鲜万成老师找我可以地址枝江领秀之江20＃701号上学枝江一中
鲜索鲜万成
2019.10.09
2024.10.8
最近真的是病了哦，也没有味觉，也睡不着觉。不知道，明年这个时候的你咋样，珍惜啊，有味觉的日子，用了几种抗生素了，左氧氟沙星比较有用。谁不着不知道为啥
13924630205
2024.10.08
可是我不敢一个人
好想恨你 恨不起你该有恨的是你吧，我总是让你患得患失，好累，好想就这样永眠…我们真的再也没有可能了吗，不重要了，我还是会在背后，默默的看着你往前走的
等下完这场雨我就来找你
2024.07.13
写给一年后的自己
今天出院了，门牙掉了三颗，嘴还肿着，要等二十天后才能装牙，工作请假了，也不知道回郑州后会怎么样。生活感情工作都一塌糊涂，希望一年后的自己生活有所起色
n6724
2021.02.23
你现在是谁陪在你身边呢
谢谢你在2017年送给我的所有痛苦，但是我还是谢谢你到我的人生走了一程，虽然很痛苦，但是很难忘，我会幸福的，希望你也能，想你的2018-9-25
早杞
2018.09.25
不知道怎么选
我不知道应该怎么办，我爱他 ，但是我不敢再去等了，我好累，怕到时候还是和现在一样让我难过。8年的感情，不容易放下，我真的不知道怎么办了，？？
你好
2018.01.17
今天偶然看到的一首诗
不管昨夜经历了怎样的泣不成声，早晨醒来这个城市依然车水马龙。开心或者不开心，城市都没有工夫等，你只能铭记或者遗忘，那一站站你爱过或者恨过的。
鄂尔多斯没蚊子
2016.10.13
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
Write yours