Posted by Frank

https://postsecret.com/2025/10/05/it-gets-better/

https://postsecret.com/?p=50652

To: “frank” <frank@postsecret.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2025
Subject: “it gets better”

Hi Frank,

Sorry to bother you. I was just wondering if, among the sea of “it gets better” sentiments, there are people who acknowledge that sometimes it doesn’t? My failed attempt was 29 years ago and it has not in fact gotten better. I tried so hard for such a long time to get better and be happy, but every year that passes leaves me more and more hopeless. But I’ve never seen anyone express this sentiment.

Everyone insists sunshine and rainbows and self-actualization are all just around the bend. I never express my hopeless sentiment because I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s happiness. Are the others like me just doing what I’m doing, keeping quiet so as not to burden anyone else? Or am I the only one?

I feel like the only one.

I’m so lonely and hopeless and exhausted and I would love to know if there are people out there who also know that “it gets better” isn’t always true. 

~~~

From: Frank Warren <frank@postsecret.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2025
Subject: Re: “it gets better”

I do get some of those secrets, I will try to post a few more. 

In the meantime, I’ll share your message on social media tomorrow. We can watch the responses you get. 

Thanks for your message, but mail me a postcard.

Cheers,
-Frank

~~~

“Finally! Someone telling it like it really is. Thank you brave person!
Sending you love.”

[View 2,000 more responses on Facebook and Instagram.]

“Oh man… You are so not alone. I wish I had something profound to say.”

“Hi there, not alone. Thank you for putting what I feel into words.”

“You’re definitely not alone on this one. I’ve been trying to survive one day at a time for more than a decade.”

“Can I just give you all a hug and let you know you are seen? And I
hope you choose to stay?”

“I felt this in my soul.”

~~~

To: “frank” <frank@postsecret.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2025
Subject: “it gets better”

What an incredible gift you’ve given me. You could have replied with a simple answer (which I also would have appreciated so much), but instead you gave me a front-row seat to witness the answer unfold in real time. You simultaneously showed me the view from your huge platform while also shielding me with the safety of anonymity.

I’ve read every single comment and am floored at how many others are out there feeling the same as me. For so long I’ve felt so insubstantial, like I could fall in the water and not make a single ripple. This experience made me feel like a real human person who is allowed to feel actual connection to other humans. I don’t have the words for how grateful I am. 

Thank you so much for giving me the experience of hundreds of messages in bottles washing up on my shore. 

~~~

“Sometimes ‘it doesn’t get worse’ is ok too.”

“I found ‘just take another breath’ more useful than ‘it gets better’.” And I did…

“It hasn’t gotten better for me. I’m in pain every single day. It never
ends. But sometimes I find a cool book to read or a game to play, and I’ll want to find out what happens next. So I’m still here.”

“My moto is ‘oh no, it’s tomorrow again’. So you’re definitely not the odd one out.”

~~~

From: Frank Warren <frank@postsecret.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2025
Subject: Re: “it gets better”

PostSecret has shared a secret with me, over and over – no one is alone with their secret.

Your post was seen by over a million people and I know many of them found solace discovering that they were not alone with their secret.

Thanks for being brave enough to speak our story.

Be well,
-Frank

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https://postsecret.com/2025/10/05/it-gets-better/

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Posted by Frank

https://postsecret.com/2025/10/01/postsecret-ted-talk/

http://postsecret.com/?p=18824

The post PostSecret Ted Talk appeared first on PostSecret.

https://postsecret.com/2025/10/01/postsecret-ted-talk/

http://postsecret.com/?p=18824

Posted by Frank

https://postsecret.com/2025/09/28/real-secrets-recorded-at-postsecret-live-and-animated/

http://postsecret.com/?p=22190

I’m always looking for creative partners to help share secrets in new ways.

The post Animated Secrets Recorded from PostSecret Live! appeared first on PostSecret.

https://postsecret.com/2025/09/28/real-secrets-recorded-at-postsecret-live-and-animated/

http://postsecret.com/?p=22190

Posted by Frank

https://postsecret.com/2025/09/28/after-the-secret/

https://postsecret.com/?p=50532

Hi Frank, 

In 2012 when I was 16 years old, I was date-raped by my then boyfriend at a party. A story not altogether dissimilar to the secret you posted this week from a person who was assaulted by a friend and was considering suicide. It took me 2 years to realize what had happened to me and what that meant, despite it being painful and causing bleeding for weeks. My brain had hidden the memory deep inside to protect me.

In my secret I wrote to you in 2015 I said that I was mad at myself for taking so long to figure it out and that I couldn’t forgive myself. I was considering suicide and felt too much shame to tell anyone about what had happened to me. I felt weak and that I had let myself down. But I was lucky enough to find a supportive community and was eventually able to talk to a therapist about my experience. It took time and a lot of work to overcome the crippling PTSD I didn’t realize I was struggling with. But I DID make it! 

These days, I don’t think about it and if I do, it no longer has any power over me. I have forgiven myself and now I have a wonderful partner who respects me and never makes me feel unsafe. Moving on wasn’t easy but it is SO worth it. EMDR saved my life and allowed me to see that I was in fact strong and that life was worth living. 

I guess I just wanted them to know that they are not alone. Unfortunately 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men in the US will experience sexual assault in their lifetimes. But, IT DOES GET BETTER! This is not your fault and that person was never really a friend at all. You deserve to be safe and loved. You are not tainted or ruined, you are so incredibly strong. I hope you are able to find the help you need and are able to give yourself grace. We are not victims, we are survivors.

Much love from one survivor to another,

J.

PS: If I submitted a secret today it would probably say something like, “I am not my past. I change everyday and I can’t wait to see who I become.”

The post After the Secret appeared first on PostSecret.

https://postsecret.com/2025/09/28/after-the-secret/

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