What comes to mind when you get hurt by someone? ‘I wonder why they hate me?’ This may not be your response but it was the response of my 9 year old daughter when I asked her this question. Of course, I recognized the teachable moment immediately! Here are some nuggets from our conversation…
1. Remember everyone does the best they can in a given moment. We’re all human. We don’t always make the best decisions. What you may think is a bad decision may seem right to someone else. Try to be understanding and see things from their perspective and do your best not to judge. We’ll never know what someone else’s intentions are or why they do certain things because we’ve never walked in their shoes. If you find yourself judging others, don’t judge yourself! Notice the thought and let it go. Just being aware of it and making a conscious decision not to judge, minimizes your chance of slipping into that behavior. What I like to do is notice the thought, let it go and then bless that person and send them positive thoughts/energy.
2. Every person and encounter happens for a reason. Ask yourself, what can you learn from this, even though it hurts. What may be the reason that this happened. How can I do better or help others as I learn from this?
3. How important is this in the grand scheme of things? Often when we get hurt by people, it feels like that’s all we can focus on but when we take a minute to reflect, it’s often not something that’s going to have a big impact in the long term (unless we let it). We can choose to reframe it and learn from it so we can let go of the hurt and pain.
4. Forgiveness. This is a tough one. Sometimes people consistently hurt us and others, and we don’t understand it. What we need to remember is hurt people, hurt people. Try to have compassion for others. It’s also important to recognize when a relationship is toxic and it’s best to cut ties rather than constantly forgiving and ending up in the same cycle (that’s another discussion, for another time).
5. Being vulnerable. If the relationship is important to you, talk to the person about how their words or behavior makes you feel (not about what they’re doing wrong). They may not even be aware of it. A great deal of healing takes place when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. This is also how we strengthen relationships and build trust.
6. Don’t take it personally. Easier said than done, I know. Often when someone hurts us, it’s a reaction they choose to have, whether the intention is good or bad. We have a choice in how we interpret it and how we let it affect us. Remember, holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. We can either choose to let these moments shape us or break us. What will you choose?
Do you experience this at work? Are you trying to determine if there’s something you can do about it or if it’s time to move on? If you’re having a tough time overcoming being hurt, I would love to help. You can contact me by clicking here.
Sharissa Sebastian helps women love or leave their jobs. She is a Life & Leadership Coach for Women, Speaker, Blogger, Radio Show Host, and Co-Owner of Stop.Smile.Breathe. Women's Retreats. She's also a Board Member at Empowering Women as Leaders, and a lover of travel and adventure.