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emotional pain inspiration patience responses

A major paradox of life is this: people who are hurting tend to hurt others

While we all endure pain in its various forms from time to time, whether emotional or physical, our responses tend to vary depending on the cause or source of our pain. If we hurt our foot against a piece of furniture we do not kick at the furniture in anger. If we are injured, say in an accident, we tend to be very protective of the injured area.

However, if we have been hurt by someone we tend to lash out at those who we believe to be the source of our hurt. Unfortunately, when we cannot readily identify or reach to the source of our hurt, we instead tend to lash out at others. This is because our level of tolerance of others becomes impaired due to our emotional state, thereby putting us in a defensive mindset aimed at self preservation. In such a state, the wrong word or action can send someone careening off the cliff of self-control.

So next time you feel like lashing out at someone just pause long enough to consider your emotional state, and ask yourself: am I directing my anger at the correct person? If not then is it fair to ‘lash out’ at him/her?

Conversely, it is worth being aware that if someone lashes out at you for no apparent reason, it might just be that they have been hurt by someone else, and a response of love and patience might be just what they need to put their hurt into the correct perspective, or perhaps even to assist in healing their hurt.

Anger, especially when not properly managed, may not only cause unintended pain to others, but can be ultimately quite embarrassing.