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 letters5年
陈通，你喜欢xmz整整五年了。你还在等那个没有结果的事情么？
chentong
2020.07.25
…
我们还是互删吧 嗯…对我想了好久我觉得我们不合适吧就这样吧
3236412292
2025.12.06
你还记得吗
一年了，或许时间冲淡了伤痛，但是那份回忆是你永远不会忘记的
tadchange
2018.07.22
写给未来的…
我们为啥分的手，你出轨？我出轨？还是我变丑了现在还是爱你哦
又又
2017.12.30
时间见证一切
我相信，时间见证一切，无论是否成功，我们需要做的仅仅是努力
n1748
2016.11.18
无题
如何？怎么干什么都提不起兴趣，感觉未来浑浑噩噩的。。。。
1364541760
2025.02.13
人生重大危机关键转折点
人生重大危机关键转折点........GOD BLESS
guraena
2016.07.02
实力
哈哈哈，好久不见，不知道自己能不能在一天内走出这份阴影
445653174
2025.03.20
123
“你爱我一下会死吗” “请务必永远救自己于水火之中”
2984788627
2025.02.09
不知今夕何夕
变化剧烈，不知道明年如何，很焦虑无助很害怕 我想要团队
guraena
2020.01.16
是不是想不开
后悔了吗？是不是想不开？还要继续吗？生活还那么无聊吗？
n3544
2018.10.21
你好未来的你
“你能不能回头看看我 我没力气再喜欢别人了”#(玫瑰)
n1045
2015.08.20
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