This time is a very confusing one for many of us all around the world. During this time, I want to encourage all of you to be true to your feelings. You know what? Let me correct myself. Even at other times, at all times, I encourage you to do so. You shouldn’t put on a front to satisfy others. If you feel sad, be sad. If you feel happy, be happy. There is something Taylor Swift once said in an interview that I keep with me to this day. Swift, addressing her fans, said: “I try to encourage my fans that.. they don’t have to feel confident every day. They don’t have to feel happy every day. They don’t have to feel pretty every day. They shouldn’t put added pressure on themselves to feel happy when their not. Being honest with yourself emotionally is really important.” I one hundred percent agree with this statement and have struggled with the issue at hand in the past.

via Pexels

For years, I was convinced I have to put on a front, pretend to be happy to please others, and live up to their image of me. I used to hide my emotions, bury them, and pretend to be happy. All the time. Hiding and repressing my true feelings caused me to be much more aggressive towards my loved ones, as they were the only ones I was genuinely myself around. The pressure of keeping up with this persona I created because I believed that is what I was expected to do, took its toll on me, and those closest to me felt it. And at this time, in which we are all under an extreme amount of pressure and worry, we shouldn’t add more. With time, I learned that I have to be true to my feelings, but how I did it is a story for another time. For now, I ask all of you to be true to your feelings. Don’t try and hide them to fit a mold someone is forcing on you.