I grew up being told not to feel anything negative. I couldn’t be mad, I couldn’t be sad, and I couldn’t admit to being stressed. Like what would I be worried about when I don’t work a 9 to 5, have no kids to feed, and live in a beautiful place like the U.S.? (Note the sarcasm of that last one because being undocumented in the U.S. isn’t a lovely experience if you know what I mean.) So for the longest time, I would hold it all in and that just led me to nights when I would cry myself to sleep because there were so many bottled-up things that would just come out when my mind finally quieted down. In college, I learned it's best to let it out. Let me set the scene for you. I had just started at UCLA and finished my first-ever midterm for Psychology 100A. I went into this midterm feeling confident about what I knew and about how I would do it. But let me tell you something, the moment I turned in the test on BruinLearn and closed my computer, I felt like the dumbest person alive, and I was scared that I had failed. The day before my roommate and I had gone out to get some slices of Susie’s Cake so we could eat them to celebrate how good we would do on our midterms. But instead of eating that cake to celebrate, I ate it to wallow in my self-pity and pain. Sounds dark, I know. Now picture this, I ended up on the floor of my room, fat tears running down my cheeks, as I listened to my “Sad GORL” playlist on Spotify. It was a sight to see because, for the first time in forever, I let myself cry, I let myself feel all the negative emotions, and for once I didn’t bottle them in. Yes, I was hurting, but it felt good to cry. My roommates all came in to check on me and try to cheer me up, and that’s when I started to laugh. When they asked me why I told them that I appreciated them caring but that for once I knew I was going to be alright, I just needed a moment to be a human for once and feel something. So if you ever feel like crying on the floor while eating cake and listening to sad music, DO IT! If you feel like screaming into the air or into a pillow, DO IT! We are humans who have feelings, who cry, who scream, who laugh, and who sometimes just need a hug. Don’t be afraid to feel, I know we’ve been taught that they are our weaknesses, but I am here to tell you that you are brave for letting yourself feel and be vulnerable. So for this National Wellness Month I encourage you to take some time to feel because that too is self-care and self-love.