“I wonder which is preferable, to walk around all your life swollen up with your own secrets until you burst from the pressure of them, or to have them sucked out of you, every paragraph, every sentence, every word of them, so at the end you're depleted of all that was once as precious to you as hoarded gold, as close to you as your skin - everything that was of the deepest importance to you, everything that made you cringe and wish to conceal, everything that belonged to you alone - and must spend the rest of your days like an empty sack flapping in the wind, an empty sack branded with a bright fluorescent label so that everyone will know what sort of secrets used to be inside you?” ― Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin.
“And when at last you find someone to whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter— they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long.” ― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.
There are certain moments in our lives that are perhaps best kept secret from our loved ones. There are many reasons why we would keep these tidbits away from the people who matter the most. There may be a generational or cultural divide, we may be ashamed of ourselves, and we might be afraid of what the people we love might think of us. Still, the anonymity of the Internet makes it a little easier to share these harrowing stories with total strangers than it is to reveal them to our nearest and dearest. Here are 25 of humanity's most vulnerable confessions.
Addiction Campuses
25. Matters of the Mind
All my friends and family know that I've had a few concussions, but what they don't know is that it’s really affecting my brain.
I can't remember anything. If it’s not written down, I will probably forget to do it. Its always things I need to do, or stuff I need to get at the store etc., I'm not forgetting names or where I am or anything. I also have a terrible time with getting distracted, like right now. I used to be able to concentrate on a task for hours on end, but now I can get sidetracked so easily.
I play off my forgetfulness as a joke, but it's getting worse and I'm getting scared.
24. Forbidden Furry Friends
Since nobody would even try to believe me when a related topic came up in the outside world, there are these 4 opossums that come to my garage every time I'm in there alone with it open and they act just like domesticated cats until I shoo them out to leave. I have no clue why they're only comfortable with me and don't beg/scour for food, but I named the dominant one Sputnik.
23. The Sting of Pride
I've been living in my car for almost a year. I leave work and come back when everyone is gone. Use the Wi-Fi, pretend everything's okay. Money is tight right now for me, but I often wonder if my pride might become the death of me.
22. Who Knows Where You’ll Find “The One”
I married a stranger from Reddit for visa purposes and she has changed my life (in a good way).
21. Confronting Your Worst Fears
In August I was diagnosed with colon cancer that has spread. I had surgery and am doing chemo but the goal is remission, not cure, I am terminal. My friends and family do not want to hear this. What I don't tell them is that I am scared—incredibly scared and need to talk about this. I am having terrible mood swings, which could be the drugs. I'm tired of trying to comfort other people about my illness.
20. Finding the Right Words
I love my family.
For some reason, I cannot handle saying "I love you" to my parents even though I really do. It carries some strange kind of weight, I feel like it might expose my emotional weakness... and they raised me in a way that allows me to handle the world by myself.
19. It’s Just a Game!
That I play D&D. My parents are still on the "dnd leads kids to satan and/or witchcraft" bandwagon and threatened to kick me out when I asked if I could try playing it at home. Although, they only know the NAME of the game, not what it actually looks like, so as long nothing I use for it explicitly says "Dungeons and Dragons" they couldn't care less.
18. Sticky Situation
I'm terrified of stickers and patterned tape. I don't know why, I don't remember any particular trauma? But they freak me out. I saw the thumbnail for a video of a guy eating stickers in a dark alley yesterday and I literally almost threw up. This is why I can never work with kids.
17. Collegiate Blues
I've been at community college for about 2 or 3 months, and I'm tired of it. Job hunting is stressful, and reminding me every time I visit doesn't help. I have no clue what I want to do with my life, and I don't feel like I'm in control of it. I just wanna give up.
16. Father Doesn’t Know Best
That I'm ashamed of my father. He's a 43-year-old man with a drug problem who still lives with his mother. He's rude, kinda racist, can't keep a job, a know it all, and just creepy. Everyone has that creepy uncle but my dad is the creepy uncle.
15. **Fingers Crossed**
I've just purchased an engagement ring for my partner, and plan to propose in a month's time.
14. We’ve All Had Those Days
I once sat through an entire movie without realizing that I had left my car running in the parking lot.
13. Keeping Up Appearances
I'm not actually away at grad school hanging out with new friends and students who share the same interests. All those pictures I post on Instagram are faked. Same with stories of people and lunches and nights up studying.
I'm an au pair who has zero friends and is so deeply in debt that I couldn't afford grad school if I wanted to. Also have no idea what I want to do for a career in contrast to my family thinking I'm going into academia.
12. They Wouldn’t Understand
I was a professional Dominatrix in London when I was between jobs. I am otherwise a veterinarian.
11. Losing Your Religion
My religion has been a source of strength and comfort for decades. I am no longer certain of my faith, and it feels like I'm standing on a cracking foundation.
10. Thank Goodness They At Least Have Each Other
Me and my partner haven't had a place to call home for almost 4 years now. It's got to the point where we don't even know if we'll be able to eat tonight.
9. You and Me Both
How genuinely worried I am about my future.
8. Standing Up For Yourself
That I'm done being the black sheep, and that I want to be included, invited, and loved and praised just as much as my other siblings.
7. A Double-Edged (And Possibly Stolen) Sword
I'm proud that I've almost completely kicked my kleptomania... but they'd just focus on the fact that I stole at all.
6. Trying to Find Help
How bad my depression has gotten. I don't have money for a therapist and they won't contribute as they think I'm just feeling down. I wish I was just feeling down.
5. The Horrors of War
That I have repressed around 6 firefights that I've been in, in which I killed people. Like I said, I have repressed the memories and they only came back last year when I spoke to an old military buddy. He was doing the whole “Hey, remember when we were in Kuwait and got into that running gun battle with the Republican guards?.” I laughed and told him no, that he has me mistaken for someone else. A long silence, then a few more questions about other incidents...then everything came back and hit me like a tidal wave. I cried for a few days after that, and the memories haunt me.
I never want my daughter to know that I am responsible for killing other human beings.
I have been working with a psychiatrist and a PTSD counselor, and it has helped.
4. Sometimes You Need a Weekend to Yourself
That I genuinely hate having to drive 3 hours nearly every weekend to see my family for "planned events." The moment I decline anything I get yelled at. Can't I just be at home, walk around naked, drink beer, and play video games? IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK MOM!?
3. Hard to Say Goodbye to the Things We Love
I don't want to play video games anymore. But I'd feel guilty if I quit, because I'd be letting myself down. It's a part of me that I don't want to let go of yet.
2. We All Have that Playlist With BTS and Girls’ Generation, Right?
That I love K-Pop. I just know my family and girlfriend would make fun of me for telling them. However on Reddit I can engage with other fans and have a great time.
1. Might We Suggest a Couple’s Cooking Class?
My wife's cooking is, largely, [expletive]. She refuses to learn the basics of working in the kitchen and makes the same mistakes time and again.
Odyssey
