Everyone constantly says that life is too short, and you're probably sick of hearing it. But in some aspects it's true. "You're only young once," "take life by the handlebars," all of this means the same thing, but there's one thing that can make our lives feel long and tiring: regret.
We never take chances because we're afraid of the outcomes or the change that may come with it. Sometimes, in our minds, the losses don't outweigh the gains. It's better to sit in your comfort zone where you are safe. It's easier than confrontation. But is it really?
We do anything to avoid confrontation or opening up. We go on social media and post things just so that one person sees it, but odds are, that person won't even see it. Worse than that, they will see it and won't think anything of it. He won't see your Instagram caption that blatantly is directed at him, she won't have her sound on to listen to the sad song in your Snapchat story, and everyone will see your Facebook status except that one person who you want to see it most.
We live in a world where we are terrified of revealing what we feel inside, but really who can blame us? We are afraid of judgment and rejection. Being afraid is natural, but something we never take into consideration is that the hurt of rejection will fade. It will get easier; the sun will rise, you'll go about life and eventually you will move on. You will survive.
If you keep things bottled up, they can end up haunting you for the rest of your life. Silence will torment you more than rejection ever will. Nothing is ever solved by keeping things to yourself. The only thing you have left to do is sit there and ask "What if?" These are the two words when put into one sentence can create an existential crisis out of nowhere that will keep you up at night. You'll wonder what could have been, what would have been different, had you just done what you wanted to do, say what you wanted to say.
Don't sit around and passive-aggressively send messages to people. Don't wait for them to stumble upon you. Life is too short for regret. If you love someone, tell them.
