We've all done it — pretended not to have feelings in fear of being perceived as weak. It seems as if the people with the least amount of emotion are among the strongest of us all. When did it become disgustingly toxic to have the human emotions that we were created to develop?

Yeah, it appears to be so much easier from an exterior viewpoint to ignore your problems and feelings, but it really doesn't save you any hurt. Pretending they're nonexistent will only force you to suppress everything until you can no longer take anymore stress, causing an inevitable eruption and/or emotional breakdown (which will make you feel worse than if you had acknowledged your feelings in the first place).

I'm not quite sure when it became an attractive quirk not to care about anything and avoid other humans at all costs, but maybe we should realize that doing things in such a manner is actually often categorized as someone having an emotional or mental disorder, which isn't a "cute" or healthy situation to be in. Don't get me wrong; it's totally OK to be less emotional than others, but faking it won't get you anything other than unresolved internal chaos.

But the real question at hand is, why are we so quick to make fun of someone for being open to the world and exposing their whole self? Why are we so afraid of being hurt that we act like we're never unhappy, confused or lost at times?

Newsflash: It's OK to be who you are. One of the most beautiful things in human life is the ability to sympathize for one another and respond accordingly to events that occur throughout life. It's a sign that you're alive and kicking. There's no reason to be ashamed of feeling things. I'll let you in on a little secret: We all do. Everyone else is faking it, too, so you're definitely not alone in the world of being human. There are billions of us who all experience similar emotions. Why care what anyone else thinks? Because they're going to embarrass you for something they aren't courageous enough to admit to? Feelings aren't a bad thing, so stop shaming yourself (and others) for having them.

Yeah, yeah, we're all afraid that admitting to having emotions might mean getting hurt, but really, what have you got to lose by being 100 percent real with yourself and with the people around you? In the grand scheme of things, your pride is nothing compared to your raw (and, might I add, completely valid) thoughts and feelings. You really don't have to sell yourself short just because you think others won't accept your nonconformity to the "normalcy" that has become cold (and, quite frankly, boring) apathy.

Exposing your full self, including the good and bad parts, is what makes a person not only brave, but also approachable. Everyone, whether or not we like to admit it, admires those who are able to carelessly put themselves out there for the world to enjoy and appreciate — because, truthfully, we know that person is brave. After all, it's so much easier in the long run to save yourself the trouble of trying to pretend you're a robot rather than the person you were created to be.

Once you learn to stop being ashamed of what's absolutely natural, you'll find yourself feeling much more free. We all know our hearts exist, so we might as well start putting them to use without feeling ashamed of it.