[Soliloquy]

Originally Posted by chelsea

I am like that too. I keep my deep feelings on the inside and "cry it out" in private. I used to deal with a lot of depression but no one would have ever known, everyone commented how "happy" I always was. I wonder if the "crying it out" fad is partly accountable for a whole generation of people in which many suffer from depression?

I absolutely think so! At least in my case and with my DH, too. I always thought of myself as independent, but only because I was scared to admit that I was afraid of having close friends, people around whom I could be vulnerable. I'm also becoming more aware of how I don't know how to "be myself." I'm always thinking about how I should act around other people rather than just "be myself." I believe it's because in the punitive environment in which I was raised, it was always someone else who stood in judgement on whether I was "good" or "bad." I wasn't encouraged to think things out for myself or to take a stand for my own convictions. It was always, "What will people think of you if you do that? What will people think of our family?" Anyway, this is getting off topic. Sorry!