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
写给三年后的你
嗨，我是24岁的刘文文，现在这封信寄给27岁的你，抱歉呀，选择了生日那天，有人陪你一起过生日吗？还是只把它当做平常的一天呢？ 祝你生日快乐呀！现在的我刚听完课，然后收到了曾经16岁刘文文寄来的信，所以我要发点小牢骚。 不得不说，现在的自己还不如高一的自己呢，她说：人生苦短，
文
2023.08.03
嘿，你还好吗
嘿，你还好吗？我在回去的车上，你现在在哪里呢。最近这几天一直在下雨，你那边也是这样吗？可能是受天气影响吧，我最近老是不知不觉地就陷入伤感，看不清未来，也看不清过去。你一定不会了吧，不知道在不见的这几年你都经历了什么，我相信不管是怎么样的经历你都一定会津津乐道吧。你老是说经历无好无
couletian
2024.05.01
致未来的自己
亲爱的自己: 六个月后的你过的好吗？本来打算寄给三个月后的自己，可是看到六个月后刚好是九月份，即将步入大二的学习生活中，那个时间点看到这封信应该会感触良多吧！ 当我写下这些文字的时候，对于未来的自己没有很大很大的期许，所以不要给自己太大太大的压力，所以不要再勉强自己做不喜欢的
时契
2021.03.06
未来的你学会勇敢了吗
未来的玻璃球： 亲爱的在未来的玻璃球，你现在好吗？是不是学会勇敢了？是不是开始忘记以前的自己了？ 现在的玻璃球觉得自己很不勇敢，不管在哪方面都不够勇敢。有的时候就是会想很多很多，也因为会想很多所以有的时候不敢付诸于行动。有的时候明明很渴望得到什么，但是就是不够勇
玻璃球
2013.03.18
请葛老师查收
铁汁！你好呀～如果一切顺利的话，今天应该是你的生日吧，祝你生日快乐啊，要每天开心哦。之所以用这样的方式，我感觉我留不住亲爱的你了，我怕我没机会把这句话说出口了。哎，可怜又可恨哦。☺️现在是我去太原找你回来，准备复试那段时间的一个初春夜晚。今天晚上十一点和你道了晚安，但我其实没睡，
319787358
2025.03.25
hi
Whatever and whenever you fell in a dark hole, maybe you’ll feel hopeless and nothing to do, you should remind yourself: never never never s
食欲倍增
2020.04.05
展信安
不知道你近来过的是否还顺利？四年时间在你收到我这封信后应该已经到了，你一定成长，成长了多少我也不知晓，接下来你应该会如愿地参加研究生考试，我真心希望祝你顺利。我也不清楚我们这四年里会有什么交集，也许什么交集都没有，不过在你收到这封信后，我们之间有什么交集应该已经很明了了。我现在回
魂疤
2022.09.07
2019730415 环境设计1904班邢璐丹
十年后的自己亲爱的的你：你好啊！好久不见，你还记得我吗？是的，我是十年前的你。十年光阴，很开心，你能亲手收到这份来自十年前你自己写的信。不知道十年后的你变的怎么样了，是不是实现了自己的梦想，过上了自己想要的生活。可我想告诉你，现在的我，并不是很出色。我没有很优秀的成绩，没有很好的
NonlyKone
2019.10.20
2019730415 环境设计1904班邢璐丹
十年后的自己亲爱的的你：你好啊！好久不见，你还记得我吗？是的，我是十年前的你。十年光阴，很开心，你能亲手收到这份来自十年前你自己写的信。不知道十年后的你变的怎么样了，是不是实现了自己的梦想，过上了自己想要的生活。可我想告诉你，现在的我，并不是很出色。我没有很优秀的成绩，没有很好的
NonlyKone
2019.10.20
愿时光可以将这一切消磨殆尽
敬宜同学: 别来无恙，我又来打扰啦(预计你明天还会再收到一封，不过是我以前写的) 真的很抱歉，给你带来了这么多的困扰，我的不成熟应该给你带来了很多烦恼吧……再次向你致歉。一年前的这个时候，我贸然向你表达了喜欢之意，结果导致了与当时被拒后双方协定的一如往常…我还是太蠢了吧，这种
所谓羞耻心
2018.01.11
这时候的我
现在二十岁，虽然很不想承认这个事实，嘿嘿。其实我还是很年轻的啦，有时候可说是幼稚，上了大学，却有很多东西还是不能想得到，像个木鱼脑袋。上了大学，每天过着浑浑噩噩的日子，不思进取，没有强强上进心，只是一点小努力自己就觉得有好满足了，真是不知道为什么可以一直这样生活还厚脸皮的觉得舒
吴_俊俊俊
2013.04.27
post
晶：见信好。现在是2020.11.06，明天就是周六，而爸爸明天也要来武汉。今天偶然间看见她的空间里很久以前她留下的文字，突然在后悔过去的自己没能在时间里留下些痕迹，不论是迷茫或者恐惧，亦或者是喜悦。我想让这些五味杂陈的感情成为足以被时间铭记的东西，因此，我写下这封信。二十岁的你
晶
2020.11.06
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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