Here’s the thing:

You can hide that bad behavior/habit.

You can pretend it is not affecting anyone.

You can gaslight people when they ask about it.

You can act like everything is alright.

You can lie to everyone so much you start to believe it.

But, at the end of the day– the truth still stands. Even if it is hazy and confusing because it has been hidden under an act. It still stands.

The reason we even hide these habits is either because of shame or fear of hurting the people we love. We think that if we hide it, we will save them. But when we hide it, it just makes it more difficult for them.

The scarier path is to say it. Say the truth. It is riskier and harder, but they already know it, deep down. There is no such thing as hiding. And perhaps by saying the truth, we can save the people we love from years of ambiguous grief.