Not Casey - image is for illustrative purpose

When Casey Coleman decided to spend a year telling only the truth, it became immediately obvious he’d need to be honest with himself, too. A lifetime of facade took less than a week to unravel, as the college student ended things with his girlfriend and acknowledged his attraction to men. “The lies you tell yourself are the ones that help you sleep at night,” says Coleman, 20. “I grew up in a small town where there were a lot of negative stereotypes about being gay . . . But I finally said to myself, ‘I’m tired of having to hide who I am.’”

Seven months into his experiment, the broadcasting student says he’s already lost three close friends to honesty. But he cites no regrets with his decision to be 100 per cent truthful. “Some days I wake up and think, ‘Why am I doing this?’” says Coleman, who is blogging the experience at mebeinghonest.com. “But overall, I find I’m a lot happier . . . I was finally able to embrace myself.”

Read more at Canada.com