Browse all topics • See what's new
6 Things To Do When You’re Feeling Hurt
Feeling hurt is something we all feel at least once… Here’s what helps.
Researched, written by 
Amber & The Team
Updated on July 9, 2023
// We recommend helpful products in our articles. Read our full disclosure here.
Feeling hurt is a universal emotion that has been felt by almost everyone at one point or another.
It’s an awful feeling and can leave us thinking that we are isolated and unimportant.
It is important to know that like most things, these feelings are fleeting and won’t stick around for too long.
What is also important to note, is that the only person that can help you out of your hurt is yourself.
Here are a few things that can be helpful if you find yourself feeling hurt.
What To Do When You’re Feeling Hurt
1. Define and Acknowledge the Pain
One of the first and most important steps that you should follow if you do find yourself feeling hurt is to define the pain.
Really explore and take the time to question exactly why you are feeling this way.
If you can try and pinpoint the source of the pain, then that is a great way to give yourself some sense of control and understanding of the situation at hand.
Along with defining the pain, you’ll also benefit from taking the time to properly acknowledge that pain.
Acknowledgment is a major step toward allowing yourself to move on.
The worst thing that we can do to ourselves is to try and smother, deny, or completely ignore our emotions.
Doing this will not allow for proper healing, and without proper healing you will remain stuck in your hurt.
2. Express the Pain Of Feeling Hurt
Again, one of the absolute worst things we can do to ourselves when we’re feeling hurt is to suppress our emotions when dealing with this situation.
Do not do yourself this disservice, you are worth way more than that.
What you should be doing instead is allowing yourself the time and space to properly grieve and express the hurt and pain you are feeling.
Doing this may seem scary, but it in fact can prove to be very therapeutic.
3. Gain Control of Your Emotions
While emotions are completely natural and oftentimes difficult to understand, attempting to gain control of them will benefit you more than you think!
There is no one way to get a handle on your emotions, especially when you are feeling hurt, but there are certain steps that you can take toward gaining control of them!
- The first thing you should try to do is make steps toward positive change. This means, for example, if you are feeling hurt because of missing out on a potential job opportunity, then maybe spend some time working and tweaking your resume.
Contrary to what you may believe, this can be a great way to help you realize that these feelings are temporary and oftentimes fleeting.
- Another helpful strategy that we suggest is trying to distract yourself from any negative emotions.
Whether you prefer the gym, cooking, binge watching a television show or enjoying a long bath sesh, attempting to distract yourself while you attempt to gain some perspective on the situation at hand can be very beneficial to your emotional wellbeing.
4. When You’re Feeling Hurt, Try to Stay in the Present
A major mistake people make when dealing with high emotions is to dwell on the past.
While it may seem unavoidable, dwelling will only leave you in the center of the very hurt you are trying to work past.
Instead, try remaining in the present moment, and move forward from there.
5. Practice Positive Thinking
While bad feelings can be avoided, try your best to consciously remember all of the good that is in your life.
Luckily, we have many suggestions to help you focus on the positives.
A great starter is to reconnect yourself with activities that you genuinely enjoy and find yourself the happiest with.
In doing this, it will help you to feel more reconnected with yourself.
Remembering that your wellbeing is of the utmost importance can help to shift your thinking away from any negativity.
A widely used strategy in dealing with negative emotions is to journal.
Journaling is a very therapeutic and simple tool that you can use to visually express your emotions onto a page.
Practicing journaling daily is a great way to keep your mind on the right track and will help to prevent any dreaded dwelling.
Here are a bunch of hepful journaling tools you can try when you’re feeling hurt.
Lastly, if you can, do your best to reconnect with any loved ones or friends around you, even when you’re feeling hurt and don’t want to see anyone.
Doing this will provide you with necessary emotional support, as well as remind you that you are not alone.
6. Give Yourself Some TLC (Tender Loving Care)
It is almost impossible to heal yourself emotionally if you are not supporting yourself physically.
Oftentimes, when we feel bad, we can tend to neglect ourselves in the process, which only hurts us further in the long run.
When you’re feeling hurt, please make sure that your health, wellness, and mindset is at the forefront of your priorities.
Make sure that you are eating foods that will make you and your body feel good and avoid binging on junk—which can be difficult at first.
I
t is also important that you strive to keep up with an optimal amount of sleep and rest, as sleep deprivation will only mean more damage to your mental health.
Lastly, try and participate in some stress relief activities, whether you choose to read a book or play with your dog is completely up to you, just make sure that it is benefiting your overall wellbeing.
– – –
Feeling hurt is oftentimes unavoidable, and we can all agree that it is not ideal; however, we do not have to be consumed by it.
We all have the power to get ourselves back on track.
Like these tips?
Scroll down for more!
"We love to research problems, examine studies, analyze solutions, and present to you the best ideas that make life healthier. You can learn about our editorial standards here.
Have suggestions or feedback to share? Send us a message."