When you find out your unrequited love is not the person you imagined him/her to be, or find out that they’ve been in a four year relationship this whole time and are now engaged, or that they are officially dating someone that’s not you, you don’t have to tell anyone. You don’t have to change your relationship status. As far as everyone knows you’re single and you always will be. So when your heart quietly breaks you can suffer in silence. You can suffer in peace.

Celebrities have to make official statements when their relationships end. And so do we. It’s embarrassing. Sharing the good parts of your life with friends and family means also sharing the bad parts.  Embarrassment and shame keep us from doing most things.

Pros of Keeping Your Emotional Privacy:

• No one knows you’re soft.
• No one knows you cry.
• No one knows your business
• People stop asking you questions about your personal life
• Everyone thinks you’re happy

Cons of Keeping Your Emotional Privacy:

• Your heart could become cold.
• Love can come to you and you won’t recognize it.
• You stop feeling bad things but also good things.
• You’ll yearn eternally for something you’ve buried deep down inside yourself.

 So, I do still crush on my teacher. Sure. But, now I can go days without thinking about him. But, he never has to know I ever thought about him in the first place. I hope he’s happily married.