dear bottled up,

If you're reading this, chances are you're always thinking about something.

Always contemplating.

Always pondering.

Always.

Even when you're asleep, your brain remains awake-constantly thinking and worrying and analyzing and determining.

When you have an issue or a problem, your mind becomes even more crowded. Crowded with thoughts. Crowded with doubts. Crowded with anxieties. Do you see yourself as unhappy? No, not at all. You're a happy person, you have great friends, and you're happy with your life. But you never openly display anything other than happiness. If you're having a bad day, no one would ever know.

Your facade of joy causes people to never assume that you're bottling it all up.

You bottle up your emotions, but only if they're negative emotions. You figure that if you don't express these bad feelings to someone, they'll fizzle out eventually.

Bottled up.

You bottle up your bad days. Maybe you had a stressful day.

Bottled up.

You bottle up feelings of sadness you may have.

Completely bottled up.

I'm here to tell you that I understand. I understand this because I'm the same way. I'd rather listen to other people's problems than vocalize my own. This can become incredibly draining.

Sometimes I feel as if I could implode.

It's time for us to stop bottling it up. Let's uncap. Let's open up.

Once you start unleashing all this pent up negativity inside of you, you'll begin to start feeling so much better. A weight will be lifted off your shoulders.

Find a trusted friend or confidant and just let go.

Sure, you'll still have your bad days and you'll still have your good, but when you release some of those emotions on the stressful days, you'll be able to better cope with it.

Because you'll have learned one of the most important lessons- that's it's ok to open up.

It's ok to uncap.

It's ok.