We all have things about ourselves that we don't always feel comfortable sharing, especially when we think we might be judged negatively for it.
But I also know it can feel like a weight is being lifted off your shoulders once that truth is spoken out loud. So, we thought we'd give the members of our BuzzFeed Community a safe place to tell us their secrets.
I can feel the sigh of relief just from reading their responses!
1. More Than A Friend
"My mom thinks that when I was best friends with a girl from 2005–2007, we were just friends. But actually, we were in love and dating. I just got back in touch with that girl. I have a boyfriend now, but I miss some aspects of our time together. I've never felt as 100% accepted and beautiful as I did with her. I don't like that I have to keep this from my mom, but it would be so, so awkward and change our relationship forever if she knew."
2. Missing My Mother-In-Law On Purpose
"I pick up extra shifts at work when my mother-in-law is in town to avoid her."
3. Mind Games
"I just feel like a bird in a cage who can’t escape. I’ve felt that way for over a year now and when I was younger I put on this façade which was, 'Yay, everything is great,' but in reality, for the past few years I’ve been having anxiety. My family and friends have helped only to a certain extent."
4. A Walk To Remember
"My dad would always find coins when he went out on his daily walks. He told me that finding a coin always made him think of my late mom. He passed away and never found out that after I visited him, I would drive around his neighborhood 'seeding' the ground with coins for him to find on his walks."
5. Cat Chaos
"I want to re-home one of my cats because he bullies the other cat I have but he’s so attached to me that I feel terrible."
6. Bully Blackmail
"I was the one who blackmailed my bully and made her lose all her friends. I plotted it for three years and finally made my move. It's been almost 10 years and she still does not know it was me. I kind of ruined her life, but that's what she gets for stealing, abusing me physically, and spreading rumors about me."
7. Hounds Over Husbands
"If my house was on fire, I'm almost 100% certain I would rescue my dog first before my husband!"
8. Family Hookup
"I have been secretly hooking up with my uncle's wife's brother, who is 10 years older than me for almost 10 years (since I was 19). It was consensual on both ends, no grooming was involved."
9. Trapped In My Thoughts
"I feel trapped in my own life! I think I’m bisexual, because I feel attracted to women, but I’ve never told anyone. If I said, 'Hey mom, I’m bisexual.' She would roll her eyes and say no you’re not. I haven’t ever had a long-term relationship and the last time I dated was four years ago. I feel it’s something I should do. I feel attraction but I also just want to be alone."
10. Coming Out Complications
"I’m bisexual. I’ve identified as bi for almost five years now and have had two close friends come out as lesbian and bi. I still don’t feel comfortable telling anyone because I’m afraid they won’t take it seriously, especially since my friends and family seem to have no doubt that I’m 100% straight."
11. Alone But Not Lonely
"I love being single. I tell my parents that I want to focus on myself and school and that a relationship would be distracting. I had a bf a while ago and he was super nice, but I just didn't like being in a relationship. It's too much effort and emotionally taxing. Being single gives me freedom. The weird part is that I want kids. I can see myself being a mother someday, but it's harder for me to picture co-parenting with someone. Things could change though, you never know."
12. Mother-In-Law Mayhem
"My MIL is one of those people that everyone has to walk on eggshells around. She’s a manipulative liar and has to make everyone around her feel small. It’s unbearable and she destroyed my self-worth through my entire twenties. A few years ago she gave me this book that was not to my taste at all, and forcibly told me to read it. One day, I decided that every time I got really upset and overwhelmed, I would go to my room and rip a few pages out of the book, like screaming into a pillow. It actually helped me cope a lot. She still tells me to read the book and asks where it is. I highly recommend it as a coping mechanism that lets you get some anger out without hurting anyone."
13. Second Grade Sorrow
"When I was in the second grade, I used to bully this girl very badly. Almost 10 years later, I regret it. I have apologized to that girl multiple times, but I feel like it isn’t enough. Sometimes I can’t sleep because of the guilt."
14. Friend On The Fence
"Eight months ago, my best friend started ditching me for this other friend once our track season started. Gradually my best friend kind of just dropped our friend group for this other girl and her new crush, who she previously wasn't allowed to talk to. I tried to be very supportive. It hurt really bad, but I’m afraid to tell her because I don’t want to lose the little friendship I still have with her. I miss her a lot. I feel guilty for feeling this way. A part of me also wishes she would just tell us she doesn’t want to hang out with us, but instead she says she WANTS to hang out with us...but doesn’t actually do it."
15. Sibling And The Side Chicks
"My brother has been cheating on his amazing and sweet girlfriend with multiple women and it just doesn't bother his conscience. She's sweet and really loves him. It makes me so mad because I can't betray him and tell her, but I also can't stand watching this."
16. And lastly, Thicker Than Blood
"I once took a blood test to find out my blood type. Then at school we were doing blood type charts and I found out that I am not related to my dad. I haven’t told him I know."