Top reasons for resentment and how to deal with it
When someone disappoints or upsets us, we all experience resentment. However, if these sentiments occur regularly, we must learn why and how to cope.
Resentment happens when someone is unhappy or attacked. Due to suffering, resentment builds to heal the damage and enjoy the process. This emotion can affect relationships and mental health. Given this, we must learn to handle resentment.
Certain traits can indicate a wicked person's attitude:
Resentful people rarely forgive or forget. These people remember the devastation they received even if it was years ago. This is why they don't forgive wrongdoers.
Grudge-holders don't learn from the past and get caught in the past. Instead of seeing terrible situations as opportunities for growth, they may see them as personal, which inhibits them from moving forward.
They believe they are always right. Resentful persons often believe they did not deserve harm.
Their black-and-white mindset causes anger since there is no middle ground. Good or evil doesn't always describe interpersonal events.
Resentment is typical of proud people. That is, they take things personally even if not meant against them.
They are quickly upset: Being irritable also makes them easily offended. Our predisposition to take offence can hide our vulnerabilities.
These signs may imply resentment.
Resentment affects us in numerous ways. Resentment can even impair our sleep, eating, and self-esteem. Some mental health repercussions of resentment include:
Resentment can increase negativity. Besides being stuck in the past.
Lack of motivation: Resentment wastes our time and energy and slows our personal development.
It affects our relationships: We all go through tough times with others, but feeling resentful towards someone close to us will hurt us.
Resentment can lower our self-esteem because it makes us feel like we did something “wrong” with others to deserve this “damage”.
If you are feeling resentful towards someone and it is harming your life, you should see a psychotherapist.
When coping with animosity, remember:
Sometimes you may not realise resentment. If you're bitter towards someone and don't know why, investigate. Fixing the causes is crucial after finding them.
Focus on the good things: Instead of thinking about the person who makes you resentful, focus on the good things in your life.
Figure out why: We may not realise we're part of the situation giving us grief. Sometimes animosity stems from an unresolved emotional trigger.
Discuss it: If this is affecting you and the relationship, it may be helpful to talk about it and resolve it. Understanding the other person's perspective makes animosity simpler to overcome.
Resentment can be hard to overcome, even with your best efforts. If this concerns you, see a psychologist.