Do yourself a favor and just tell your crush.

Holy crap let me tell you: Whether or not you're successful, the feeling is absolutely LIBERATING.

I developed a crush on a coworker/close friend last month, meaning that period was marked with stress, overthinking, sleepless nights, being unable to be myself around them, constantly thinking about that person—you know, the whole shebang—until finally I worked up the courage to just tell her the truth via text after a very wholesome hangout.

She didn't say yes, she didn't say no; she said that she's hesitant and needs time to think because we're friends/coworkers. But in all honesty, at this point I'd be totally okay with getting rejected.

Don't get me wrong, I'd be over the fucking moon if she said yes to the date I asked her on, but if she says no I can finally start being myself around her and enjoy our friendship to the fullest without all the mental and emotional baggage that I accrued because of my crushy feelings.

Having a crush is mentally and emotionally exhausting, and I should not have waited as long as I did to tell her, because now I feel as light as a fucking feather.

P.S.

I know that my title makes it sound like this is a valid strategy that everyone should adopt, but the fact of the matter is, not everyone has the emotional/mental fortitude to package it the way I am, but it's definitely something you can work on. Be brave, be honest, be sincere; don't be a resentful rat if things don't go your way; and lastly, love yourself. Peace.