If you can't get someone out of your head, are they supposed to be there?

Question. Is it better to:

a.) wear your heart on your sleeve and put yourself and your feelings out there when there's a good chance you'll get hurt/rejected/mocked

OR

b.) act like something that's making you miserable really doesn't bother you at all and you could not care less what happens

Have you ever been in a situation where you did one or the other? What happened? Discuss.


Here's my answer:

It all depends on the situation. Normally, I wear my heart on my sleeve, because for example, if you don't let someone know that what they're doing hurts you, they could continue walking all over you knowing that you'll just put up with it and won't stick up for yourself. Also, if you really care about someone, if you don't put yourself out there and decide to hide your feelings, you'll always wonder what could have been, and will miss out on great experiences. You won't just magically find the one you're meant for without kissing a few frogs first. And keeping things bottled up is the WORST possible thing for you, in my opinion. Communication, big.

Other times, it's better to just act like things don't bother you, because after awhile, you'll find that it wasn't all too important, you got over it fast, and it doesn't matter anymore. And you end up saving yourself a lot of embarrassment and "why did I do that"s that would have occured had you spoken up and made a big issue out of something that ended up being nothing.

I guess the real question is, how do you tell if it's something life-changing and worth going after, or something you'll have forgotten about in a few months?


My current situation is of course more complicated and I'm having trouble making a decision. So far, I'm keeping my lip zipped. And praying. A LOT.


P.S. Salem is doing fantastic...the day I brought her home from surgery, I threw her in the tub and gave her a bath for the first time in her 11 years of existence, and she was still half drugged up and it was probably the funniest experience of my life. Also, I just read through some earlier posts and almost had to laugh at how awful I felt and stressed I was about getting a job and how it all just worked out. I will never cease to be grateful for that.