There are so many things in life that we so badly want to say to someone but we know we shouldn’t. I cannot even count the number of times I have had to bite my tongue over the course of my life and I am only 26.

“Some things are better left unsaid but they turn me inside out.” –Annie Lennox

This quote stands out in my mind right now because if you deem something to be better left unsaid but it is still eating you up inside, is it ACTUALLY better left not being said?

I think the bottom line comes down to what you hope to gain from saying something.

Recently, I found myself in a situation where I was very torn between calling someone out on something that was really bothering me and just letting it go. I went back and forth in my mind for days until finally I talked to a friend and she helped paint the different scenarios of how things could play out if I went through with the conversation. It was so helpful to let everything out to my friend and honestly, after discussing with her the various ways the situation could play itself out if I spoke up about what was bothering me, I realize that there was nothing to be gained by it.

So I let it go.

It would have ended up being a huge mistake to speak up about what was bothering me at the time I was thinking about actually doing so. I was emotional and exhausted. The anger had been building in me and it would just have been an awful time to unleash it. But, I needed to let the words out because they were truly eating me up inside.

So while some things are better left unsaid, if they truly are eating away at you, let it out to someone who isn’t involved in the situation. Sometimes the very act of opening up about what is bothering you can help to alleviate some of the overwhelming emotions that can overpower us at times.