PostSecret is one of the most honest and open websites that exists online today. I have been visiting the PostSecret website for a few years now and it is one of the best websites. The secrets are sometimes tragic, sometimes scary, sometimes hard to believe they are true.

Your Secret, My Secret

Often someone else’s secret is also yours. That’s the most powerful aspect of PostSecret. The secret you are reading at the time might also be the secret that you keep yourself. The beauty of Postsecret is that it shows you we all have and share secrets in life.

When I was reading PostSecret I came across particular secret that reminded me of myself. This one is mine… repeated over and over again during my last snowboarding trip in Colorado.

I love snowboarding but riding the lift up the mountain always scares me. I’ve seen people drops skis and snowboards and I’m always halfway scared I’ll slip and fall myself. It’s something I can’t help but think about every time.

There have been other secrets on the site that resonated with me. The power of the site is exactly that – your secret is the same secret another person harbors.  Letting someone in on your particular secret is something we don’t do very often in real life. We harbor secrets and keep them close, sometimes for our whole lives. Letting them out into the world, even if anonymously, lets you get a little relief and feel less alone with your secret.

PostSecret

Officially, PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. The secrets can be anything you want them to be and you’ll see the gamut of secrets if you read PostSecret long enough. People will share all kinds of things when it’s anonymous.

Every Sunday visitors check the blog to peruse new secrets and see what secrets their neighbors, friends, and strangers keep. The combination of voyeurism, emotional release, and art all come together for a unique experience.

It began with the simple request for secrets for a group art project: “Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything – as long as it is true and you never shared it with anyone before.”

PostSecret Books

Over the years PostSecret has gotten millions of secrets mailed in. They share a lot on the blog and others make it to the books that they created and now sell. If you have missed a lot of the blog secrets shared, you can pick up one of the PostSecret books to catch some of the best.

In fact there are now several books available from PostSecret based on the project of getting strangers to share their secrets.

PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives – The original book from PostSecret.

A Lifetime of Secrets: A PostSecret Book – Another book from PostSecret.

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God – A themed book from PostSecret related to confessions about life, death, and God.

The World of PostSecret – The most recent PostSecret book published in 2014.

If you haven’t read one of the books before, I highly recommend picking one up! The first time I picked up the original book I couldn’t put it down at all. It’s very engrossing and definitely worth a read.

PostSecret Gives Back

One thing I really love about PostSecret is that the organization gives back to the community based on the things they’ve encountered in the secrets.

Over the years, many secrets received about depression and suicide led PostSecret to support the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. They have helped over 2.3 million people and PostSecret could not have chosen a better resource. For anyone who has been touched by suicide, you know how hurtful and long lasting the effects can be on those who are left to pick up the pieces. It’s definitely a hard issue that is difficult to talk about which is why the suicide prevention hotline is so necessary. For those who find it and call it, they can find hope and find a way to come back from the brink of darkness.

PostSecret is amazing for many of reasons, the first of all is its ability to help people. It’s entertaining to read people’s secrets, sure. But it’s great to know that purchasing a book or supporting the site will also support a good cause that helps people in their time of need.

If you haven’t checked out PostSecret yet, I highly recommend you do so!