Personal Disclosure

Personal disclosure is something I have struggled with for a very long time. I often find it difficult to tell others how I am feeling or ask for help because I do not want to burden them with my problems. This probably stems from my childhood when I was often taught to minimize my problems by comparing them to others with more serious concerns. This type of reasoning was not all bad, and I think would have been helpful had my personality been different. I was never the type to talk about my problems, I usually kept to myself and tried to solve things before anyone knew there was a problem. This type of problem solving, combined with the idea that my problems were never as bad as other's problems, made me feel ashamed of my struggles, and often caused me to further isolate myself. This type of thinking still causes me to withdraw from people today. When I am feeling depressed or struggling with my body image, it is extremely difficult for me to tell anyone. At times I will confide in my fiancé about my issues, but usually I am extremely vague or tell him about the problem after I have already solved it. This is something I am continuing to work on, and still only feel comfortable telling one person. I often am afraid that once I tell someone something, they will forever be able to hold it against me. This might sound paranoid, but in my past experience, others' knowledge about me has come back to bite me later. My trust issues only further the problem. I look forward to the day when I don't feel uncomfortable talking about my problems, and feel comfortable enough to ask for help. I encourage you to find someone trust worthy and close to share some of your personal feelings with. It may be difficult at first, but in time, you may find your problems seem more manageable when you have someone to confide in.