Release the pressure and feel free again.

It is a wonderful phenomenon that telling our stories can get us through the most miserable, horrible life experiences. Reliving these stories can help us deal with the aftermath of them. Share your experiences, share yourself. Share your mistakes and heartaches. Share as much of yourself as you feel comfortable giving away. Don't bottle things up, just get it off of your chest. Hiding can be so very exhausting and it can cause you to run yourself ragged and spread yourself too thin. Release the pressure and feel free again. 

What I just expressed to you is something I have to tell myself all of the time. When I was still the old me, I kept everything to myself. I let things build and build until I exploded into a fit of emotion and tears, periods of depression, and sometimes periods of anger. I felt that sharing certain things would be the equivalent of complaining, which I already did enough of as it was, or that I would be embarrassed by it. I didn't want to be a burden to anyone, even my best friends or family. I just felt that it would be easier to keep things to myself and I have learned over time that doing that is the complete opposite of what I should have been doing. I didn't think that it would help anything by sharing my feelings or expressing to someone what I was going through. I, being of the melancholic nature, decided to wallow in pity. As I've grown, I now can see that sharing with others is healthy. Sharing with others is helpful. Not only have I let myself be transparent through this blog, I have let myself become more transparent in life. 

I do, of course, still keep some things to myself, as everyone does. However, I'm learning how to share my burdens with those who are willing to help me carry them. I have so many people close to me who are happy to lend a hand or a listening ear when I need to share. I am truly grateful for these people and I only wish that everyone was so lucky. What I'm trying to say here is that you need to get things out in the open. Even if you think it will embarrass you in some way, you need to open yourself up. Keeping things inside can cause you to fall into deep holes that become harder and harder to climb out of without some help. I know this from too many experiences, and if I had realized that accepting help was OK, I would have saved myself so many breakdowns and months of depression. Be an open book. Even if you don't think you can, try to give yourself to others and get out of your comfort zone from time to time. It is so incredibly worth it and I only wish that I had realized this sooner in my life. 

When I shared my experience with chew/spit, I was very embarrassed. I was incredibly ashamed, but after getting it out, I was more easily able to control it and eventually stop. I felt judged after sharing that, even though I know that's probably not the case. I felt like if I were to have continued doing that, I would be letting others down, including myself. So talking about it saved me from continuing down that unhealthy path. I cannot express to you enough how much pressure I felt lift off of my chest after talking about it. Sharing your stories, stories from the past or present, is a good thing. It doesn't matter how far back something may have occurred. If you still feel some kind of emotion stemming from it, you need to talk about it. Some things can eat you up inside so don't let your pride or your fear stop you from letting others into your life. I encourage all of you to take the time to talk to someone about what you've gone through or whatever your current situation may be. You don't have to expect answers, just tell someone. As always, I'm here for all of you, all of the time. Call me, text me, email me, Facebook me. I don't care. I'm here for you if you want to share.