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
我坚强，我快乐，我幸运
我很辛苦，我干费尽千辛万苦，挣扎到最后那一刻，可是，却再也没有了幸存日，老了后拯救我的命远，我在襄阳等着你的到来！
n2220
2017.07.22
我坚强，我快乐，我幸运
我很辛苦，我干费尽千辛万苦，挣扎到最后那一刻，可是，却再也没有了幸存日，老了后拯救我的命远，我在襄阳等着你的到来！
n2220
2017.07.22
一个人哭
我很难过，一个人躺在床上哭 心里特别疼，绝望 彻底失去你
Ruru
2017.06.01
加油
相信自己，你可以的！！！ 没有什么过不去的坎，你需要做的，只是，爱上它，并且不断前进。
n1322
2016.03.11
高心要辞职
罗总给我看高心要辞职，其实对我一下子打击还是非常大。说实话，也许时间是最好的催化剂，希望几年后看到能一笑了之
guraena
2018.05.04
远离你 一辈子
你为什么要这么说呢。你根本不明白我有多想离你近点，多希望你能好好的别老是想着去死。你死了 那我呢 我怎么办
等下完这场雨我就来找你
2024.07.27
悲伤的预感
有种预感，总有一天我会离婚～而且是对方觉得我一无是处～呵呵。我也觉得，他这样下去，至少5年内不会有气色。
san
2014.08.26
我也想决绝一点
亲爱的 看起来我们不会再见了，没有我你也可以过的很好 其实我还想再缠缠你，但我怕你嫌我烦了，还是算了吧
等下完这场雨我就来找你
2024.07.15
的你也许正处于人生低潮，也许正值春风得意。无论你属于那一种，我都希望你是微笑的，
的你也许正处于人生低潮，也许正值春风得意。无论你属于那一种，我都希望你是微笑的，不是后悔，不是叹息
n3416
2018.09.12
蛋蛋想的起来我是谁不→_→哈哈
声明一下这是2016年10月2号寄来的信，那时候我们刚刚分手吧，我也刚刚到无锡，目标应该是赚钱了吧
こ胡胡呀
2016.10.02
你觉得你还有未来吗
真希望我看不到这封信希望我认真学习希望我自己在拼搏希望可以改变自己的人生道理我都懂为什么我做不到
又软又甜
2015.12.26
给未来的自己
心情很不好，太多的事情让自己很烦恼。 希望三年后的自己能够事事顺心
_Suit_Tie
2013.03.17
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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