Being a newbie to publicly telling strangers about my personal struggles, is it normal to initially feel worse after bringing things up that you've tried to fix on your own or ignore and hope would just go away?

I'm finding that while getting a huge weight lifted off my chest, I might be going hog wild with the cathartic process (I'm an all or nothing kind of girl) because sometimes I just feel overwhelmed at the amount of stuff I didn't realize I was holding inside. Sure, I talked with family about it, but they'd just say "I know, I know" but not really be able to give any advice other than being a supportive ear. The only online friend I've told has her own issues to deal with and probably doesn't need me weighing her down (even though she constantly calls to check on me, says she's worked through her abusive issues and wants to help me through my similar situation, but then says in other forums how sick of listening to other people she is).

Normal, or not?