10 Things To Do When You Are Hurt

This post will act as your healing guide to deal with any hurt and pain that life’s thrown your way. Read on to reclaim your heart and let go of all the hurt that’s weighing you down.

Life has a way of throwing punches at times when you’re least expecting it to.

It doesn’t matter how strong you are. Your heart will experience pain, and it will get hurt.

You can try your best to keep your walls up, but doing that would mean keeping yourself closed to other beautiful emotions.

If you want to experience love in all its powerful glory, you will need to open yourself up to the possibility of getting hurt.

And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather take my chances than live a life staying closed up because I’m too scared to be hurt.

But the real question is — If hurt is inevitable and also in ways important to live life fully, then how do you cope with its brutality without letting it change who you are at your core?

How do you move on from heartbreak?

How do you stop betrayal from filling your heart with bitterness and mistrust?

And how do you make yourself realize that someone’s cruel words are more a reflection of their heart than yours?

You’ll find the solutions to all of that and so much more in this gentle guide on recovering from hurt.

But first, pin this post for safekeeping, please.

We’ll be looking at 10 powerful things to do when you are hurt instead of staying down.

Read on to heal your heart after getting hurt, rebuild your strength, and emerge stronger than ever.

What To Do When You Are Hurt

1. Let Your Emotions Flow

First and foremost, allow yourself to feel. Trying to suppress sadness, anger, or frustration will only prolong the pain.

It’s okay to cry, scream into a pillow, or vent to a trusted friend. It only makes you human and shows your ability to feel.

If it helps, name your emotions and validate them.

I like to write down things like ‘feeling angry’ or ‘so confused by what happens’.

It gives my mind something to work with and know exactly what I’m dealing with at the moment.

Might help: 21 Ways To Lift Your Mood When You’re Feeling Low

2. Take Care Of Yourself

Dealing with hurt can be draining and oh-so-exhausting.

During such situations, it becomes more important than ever to prioritize your mental health by practicing self-care.

Get enough sleep, eat nourishing foods, and engage in activities that bring you comfort.

Give yourself a long bath, read a good book, and step outside to spend some mindful time in nature.

Self-care is nothing but doing more of what helps you feel relaxed and grounded.

In your low moments, it can help you look after your tired heart and give it some much-needed tender love.

3. Consider The Situation

Once the initial wave of emotions has passed, try to understand the situation.

Was the hurt intentional or unintentional? Is there a deeper issue at play? What parts of the situation were out of your control?

Reflecting on such questions can help you decide how to proceed.

And even if nothing concrete comes from your analysis, understanding the other side is always helpful in letting go and not making the issue personal.

4. Confront If You Need To

Sometimes, it’s pointless to try and seek any clarity from people who hurt you.

It might even lead to more chaos in your head, especially if the other person isn’t someone who can handle confrontations maturely.

But sometimes, it becomes necessary to confront for your own sanity.

If the situation allows, and you feel up to it, have an honest conversation with the person who hurt you.

Express how their actions impacted you and see if there’s room for understanding or resolution.

Whatever comes out of the talk, at least you’d know that you tried and won’t regret not doing something.

5. Set Boundaries

Setting boundaries doesn’t mean closing up your heart.

It simply means protecting your emotions against someone who isn’t good for your mental well-being.

When a person hurts you, they might be need to kept at a distance, especially if they continue to show hurtful behavior.

You can do this by limiting contact, being assertive about your needs, or even completely cutting ties with the person.

Visualize yourself closing one of the many gates from your heart, the one that connects you to the source of hurt.

It shouldn’t impact the way you interact with the rest of the world, just safeguard you from whatever is causing you pain at the moment.

Might help: 12 Mindful Ways To Declutter Your Mind And Feel Lighter

6. Forgive When It’s Time

Forgiveness doesn’t mean condoning the other person’s behavior. Neither does it mean being okay with letting people hurt you.

True forgiveness means letting go of the resentment and anger in your heart.

It’s more for your sake than for anyone else’s. It’s a gift to yourself, that powerful step that can allow you to move forward with peace.

You might not be ready to forgive right now, and that’s fine.

But once some time has passed and all has been said and done, give yourself permission to forgive and free yourself from the burden of staying stuck in the past.

P.S: It’s possible to forgive someone and still move on from them, or choose to have them back. Whatever feels the best for you.

7. Learn And Grow

Every experience, even a painful one, is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Of course, it isn’t easy to always make lemonades out of the lemons that life throws your way, but you should at least make an effort to get into that ‘making the best of it’ mindset.

Once you are done feeling the brunt of the emotions that come from hurt, pause and reflect on what you’ve learned from the situation.

What did it reveal about yourself and the other person? How would you like to handle such occurrences going forward? Does this make you want to reassess your priorities?

Use this knowledge to strengthen your relationships, look after yourself better, and make healthier choices in the future.

Must read: How To Make Your Life Better – 10 Simple Ideas

8. Focus On The Good In Life

It can be easy to get swept into the negativities of life after getting hurt.

You’re emotionally vulnerable during such times, and your mind won’t want to believe in the power of good things.

But the thing is, even when you don’t believe in it, there is goodness in the world all around you.

If you can get yourself to look up and focus on the positive aspects, your perspective can really shift and you can find the strength you need to breeze through difficult times.

You don’t have to put a lot of energy into this.

Just take some time each day, even if it’s a minute, to appreciate the good things, whether they’re big or small.

Be grateful to wake up in the morning, enjoy your coffee with gratitude, and pray to God before going to bed.

Creating gratitude lists can also be an amazing way to say your thanks and count your blessings.

9. Celebrate Your Strength

In the face of hurt, it can be easy to believe that you aren’t strong enough, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Each day of living with the memory of your hurt is a testament to your inner strength.

Only a person who has a lot of emotional capacity can feel so much. So, don’t disregard your own courage and resilience.

You’re going to get through this no matter what, but believing in yourself will definitely make the healing faster and easier.

You’ve been through hurtful situations before and overcome them, right?

So, trust in your ability to navigate this one too, and be patient with your heart while it heals itself.

10. Don’t Hesitate To Seek Support

You could be the most emotionally self-sufficient person in the world, but the comfort that comes from leaning on another shoulder is unmatched.

This is coming from someone who believes in self-love and self-care more than anything.

There was a time when I withheld myself from seeking support, but time has taught me that it takes courage to be vulnerable to the right person at the right time.

Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or even a therapist if you need to.

Tell them how you feel, break down what happened, and seek their perspective on the situation to understand it better.

Having a non-judgmental space will make it easy to process your emotions and move on from the hurtful situation.

Hurt Doesn’t Last Forever

I wish I was big enough to say that I am grateful for all those times when someone hurt me, but I’m not.

I still wish I could’ve dodged some of those incidents, but then how would I know everything I know now?

Right now, you might be cursing someone or feeling like the world is a bad place, but you’re not going to feel this way forever.

Healing takes time. It’s important to be patient with yourself and take the baby steps you need to overcome the hurt and pain in you.

You’ll emerge from this stronger, more resilient, and with a clearer understanding of your own worth.

You just discovered a 10-step guide for dealing with hurt. Got anything you’d like to add? Tips, questions, and thoughts are always welcome in the comment box.