how we express feelings...
I think one of the hardest things is simply saying how we truly feel. It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Just open your mouth and speak your heart. But if it were that simple, so many things in life would be different. Friendships wouldn’t end in quiet misunderstandings. Love wouldn’t fade without explanation. People wouldn’t carry silent pain for years.
The truth is, speaking your emotions can feel like standing at the edge of a cliff, not sure if you’ll fly or fall. You want to be honest, but you’re scared of what might happen next. You want to be heard, but you’re afraid you’ll be judged. So you hold it in.
Maybe you’ve been there before. You wanted to tell someone how you feel, but you worried they might think you’re desperate. You wanted to say how hurt you are, but you didn’t want to cause trouble. You wanted to express love but you feared the silence that might come if they didn’t feel the same way. So instead, you smiled, you nodded, you pretend to be fine when you weren’t. And they never knew the truth.
We like to believe silence protects us, but really, it’s a slow poison. At first, it feels safer not to speak. You convince yourself that your feelings aren’t important, that they’ll pass. But the more you keep inside, the heavier it becomes. Over time, those unspoken words build walls around your heart. People see you smiling, laughing, living your life but they don’t see the storm quietly raging inside.
It shouldn’t be this hard. Emotions are part of being human. Wanting to share them is natural. But somewhere along the way, life taught us that vulnerability is dangerous. Maybe you opened up once and someone laughed. Maybe you were ignored, or your feelings were used against you. Those moments teach us to hide. They whisper to us, It’s better to say nothing at all.
And so, we keep things in. We avoid uncomfortable conversations. We watch relationships drift apart because no one wants to speak first. We suffer in silence, telling ourselves we’re strong for holding it together, when in reality, we’re breaking quietly.
But I’ve come to believe that speaking your truth no matter how small is one of the bravest things you can do. Saying, “I’m not okay” takes courage. Admitting, “You hurt me" is strength. Expressing, “I love you” is a gift, even if it’s not returned. These are the moments that create real connection. Without them, we’re just people passing by each other, never really knowing what’s in each other’s hearts.
So yes, I believe that saying how we feel has become far more complex than it should be. But I also believe it can be simple again. It starts with small acts of honesty, with choosing truth over fear. It starts with trusting that our feelings are valid, that our voices matter, and that the right people will listen.
One day, I hope we all find the courage to speak our hearts without fear. Because at the end of the day, unspoken words don’t disappear, they stay, waiting, heavy inside us. And life is too short to carry that weight forever.