If it is one thing that I have learned over the past few months it's that when you hide your feelings from someone you love it can be severely damaging to your self-esteem. It's easy to convince yourself that you are invalid and unwanted. Even if the person you love does not feel the same way it is still crucial that you share you feelings openly with them, otherwise it causes you severe damage.

First off, not confronting your emotions does not mean they go away. They usually only intensify. If you have feelings for someone TELL THEM. Communication is key. How do you expect to build a relationship off of guesses and passive lies? The best thing to do when you like someone is to recognize that your feelings are important enough to share. You don't have to diminish what you feel just to make someone else feel more comfortable.

Secondly, when it comes to boys in particular, they often don't want to open up about how they actually feel unless you do first. It is frustrating, but just know that they probably like you back and think you're rad as well. They just need a push. And, if they do end up not feeling the same, at least you have closure and can move forward. There is nothing worse than uncertainty. Trust me.

Telling someone how you feel is so hard because you are opening yourself up to possible rejection, but it self-destruction is way worse than rejection. I urge you to tell the person you love how you feel because life is too short and death is too long. When you finally open up to someone who feels the same it will be worth it all. Women are constantly forced to follow these unspoken dating rules that make us suppress how we feel. It is much healthier to just be open with your emotions and with yourself at all times.