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
一试
偶然打开微信，偶然看了她的朋友圈。偶然发现了你仍在关注她。很想问你，为什么你删了她的微信，又添加她了呢！！我再怎么样也替代不了她，是吗？？
昔然
2017.02.17
we are at now
congratulations, you have gone through the hardest time.BK4BvUfAHtDq
ericwu
2021.10.18
吃一堑长一智
经过这次，我不知道你会不会长记性，没有长，就请你现在长点记性。黄昕你这样是觉得开心极了嘛，处男朋友处成这种地步，我很真心的求你长点心。
n1187
2015.11.08
唤醒
命运有三个转折点：1.原生家庭；2.夫妻伴侣；3.觉醒的自己。若没有优越的家庭，如意的伴侣，就一定要唤醒那个强大的自己，重新洗牌。
liuzhengqiqq
2024.09.22
自己
今晚我走着走着突然想自己为自己仅有的尊严奋斗一回，又想享受一点仅有的快乐，为时间而担心，突然笑了又哭了觉得贱贱贱贱贱贱贱贱贱贱贱。
mila
2018.09.25
星奇hey
第五天“这就是人生，并不是闹着玩的”茅场晶彦（改）喂，你，还好吧！也许，可能，大概，但是还是要走下去的啊，找个其他的地方进下一层啊
过去的星奇
2017.02.20
如果你还爱着她
你还要坚持下去么放手吧她注定不是你的也注定无法与你白首或许此时她已为人妻纵有千千结奈何无情且手放开放眼于众即使不愿意将就也只能将就
唯本
2015.09.02
一些想法
每个人都是一副精彩的画卷 对这幅画卷的批判取决于你对于世界的认知 好与坏皆与你无关 你能做的只有是否愿意去了解这幅画卷后的故事
初雪
2025.04.23
你在哪里？
你在哪？我并不知道。但是我要做和死神赛跑，别放弃我的理想，拜托，一定要变强，你还记得此时的我的悲伤与愤怒么，变强，变强，变强！
zt
2018.03.29
一封来自2024年02月09日的信
永远爱自己，忠于自己！对自己保持满意！不管人生经历哪些事，都不至于时永远走不出的低谷，所以请你千千万万遍拯救自己于水火之中！
n3083
2024.02.09
你好
武汉市精神卫生中心精神科周新芳我是抑郁症我是精神分烈症我是内向我是孤独症我是自闭症姓名鲜索鲜万成订仪器修复大脑或训练
鲜索鲜万成
2019.10.08
烦神的吧
永远记得。想太多的时候。一定要做事。即使把自己的精力全耗费在工作上。也不要想很多。切记切记切记 再给自己写一封信。
火
2020.02.23
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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