The journey from feeling offended to feeling aggrieved is alarmingly brief if the stakes are high enough. And if the source of grievance is in the family or at work, the proverbial stone in the shoe can become almost impossible to endure.
Being told to “move on” or “be the bigger person” just doesn’t cut it and often makes the feeling worse. Not only has someone wronged you but also your hurt is being invalidated to the point that you feel to blame for showing emotion.
This can become unendurable and it is not uncommon for these pent up feelings to begin to flow at the start of a new year.
It is not only counselling rooms that hear this, medical clinics too are dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms including headaches, stomach complaints, high blood pressure and substance abuse to name a few. And they so often share at their source, a simmering sense of injustice and hurt.