“I bottle up everything. I hide my emotions. I pretend to be OK, and I know it’s not healthy, but I don’t want to be a burden. I don’t want people to worry about me.”

I get it; I do. You bottle up all of your emotions. You don’t want to worry anyone. You don’t want to stress anyone out. You don’t want to add problems to someone else’s life.

When someone asks what’s wrong, you reply, “nothing."

That’s easier, right?

Everything going on may rush into your head, swirling around like a tornado.

The words just don’t come out. You sit there, swallow hard, and hold it all back.

"Shadow had heard too many people telling each other not to repress their feelings, to let their emotions out, let the pain go. Shadow thought there was a lot to be said for bottling up emotions. If you did it long enough and deep enough, he suspected, pretty soon you wouldn't feel anything at all." -Neil Gaiman

You may not even mean to. Sure, you hate seeing those who love and care about you upset and frustrated when you won’t talk about what’s wrong. You just can’t, right? Not everyone can be as open or able to share. You don't want them to think and feel as though you don't trust them. You don't want them to feel like you think they wouldn't care.

It's scary letting someone into the deep, personal parts of your life. What if that person walks away? Will they tell anyone what you say? What if you say the wrong things? What if you can't handle or understand what you tell them?

You can only hope that someone is willing to take their time and understand why you bottle everything up and that maybe just one day you'll be able to express how you think and feel.