How To Tell A Secret Without Hurting Anyone

Secrets have a lot of power, and if you admit them, you literally strip all the power away out of them.” –Steven McMorran of the band Satellite

Secrets are something we all struggle with at one point or another, whether it is keeping them from others or even keeping them from ourselves. They can be sad, silly, disgusting, happy, exciting and so many things in between. The reasons we keep secrets vary, but some reasons include fear of being misunderstood, feeling embarrassed by them, or not knowing who we can trust enough to share them with. Keeping secrets can cause us to build a wall between us and others that we aren’t even aware of.

“Sometimes when we think we are keeping a secret, the secret is actually keeping us.” –Frank Warren

Frank Warren has a community art project called PostSecret. People mail in secrets on postcards and he puts some up on the project’s website, www.postsecret.com, every Sunday. He has also made five books full of secrets and travels to speak about the project.

Having secrets can isolate us and make us feel alone, but Frank Warren has created a community that shows that sharing secrets can bring us together and reminds us that we’re never alone. With over half a million secrets received, chances are your exact secret has been shared by someone else. You’ll probably see a secret that you knew you had, but you may also see a secret you didn’t know you had until you read that secret someone else shared.

Look inside yourself and see if there are any secrets you’re aware you have. Try to think of why you’re keeping those secrets. Know that you’re not alone and that you deserve to have your voice heard. Think of the people in your life; is there anyone you can share your secret(s) with? If not, you can always share them with PostSecret, or you can try writing them down just to get them out of your head and off your chest onto paper. While sharing secrets certainly isn’t going to automatically make everything okay, it can lift some weight off your shoulders and give you a sense of relief. Don’t let your secrets have the power to hold you back.