10 Signs You’ve Caught the Bitterness Virus

Life is too short to spend it angry and bitter against those who hurt you. Let Go!!!

So my birthday has come and gone (it was on Tuesday 17^th June) and I’m still feeling fresh and new basking in the euphoria of that special day. Special thanks to all those who sent texts, facebook messages, called and gave gifts; and special thanks to my Word WYN pips who came to hang out with me later that day.

“Bitterness” here means anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly. It refers to that point you get to in life when all you think about is who hurt you and what they did over and over again to the point it generates feelings of anger, thoughts of revenge and the wish that something similar or something worse would happen to them. Bitterness is a verrrry crippling emotion that, if allowed to go on unchecked, could lead to the following:

1. Seeking revenge by any means. 
2.  Distaste and HATRED for people of similar gender, tribe, race or age to the one(s) who hurt you.
3. A negative change in your behavior which makes you violent, rude, nasty etc. 
4.  Depression and psychological disorders. 
5.  Loss of zeal and passion for life leading to suicidal thoughts and even suicide itself.

Bitterness is a pit that you don’t want to fall into. Why? Because it twists your life’s focus and gets you to focus on things that will only bring out the worst in you. Unfortunately, for as long as we live, nasty things will always occur that may tempt us to become bitter. And even though we wish we could prevent ourselves from getting hurt, we can’t prevent it all the time. Here are 10 signs that will help you know you’re plagued by the bitterness virus and you need to get help.

Signs that Bitterness has Taken Hold of You

1. You’ve become a shadow of yourself since ____________ happened to you. You’re no longer the joyful, jovial person you once were.
2.  Almost everything around you reminds you about that one incident you’re trying so hard to forget and when things happens you cry and feel rage all over again.
3. Each time you remember what hurt you, you feel the same anger, hurt and disappointment you felt the day it happened, as if it was occurring all over again.
4. You’re looking for a way to revenge and get even with the one(s) who hurt you. 
5.  You now see men/women as dogs, liars, devils etc or you now hate all people of a certain tribe or gender with a passion. 
6.  You no longer feel like living anymore because life has lost its taste.
7. You no longer want to get married or get into a relationship.
8. You punish all other men or women for the sins of the one who hurt you. 
9.  You’ve become hypersensitive; a little action triggers a tornado reaction from you. People have to watch their tongue around you and practically walk on egg shells.
10. You always talk about the fact that you were hurt to anyone who cares to listen, even though it’s been years since it happened.

 Are You Infected by Bitterness?

If you check yourself and you’ve discovered that you’re plagued by bitterness, I’ll like you to know that you need to get help. Bitterness creates an ulcer or wound in your soul and psyche that, if left unchecked, could eat you up gradually and cause you to self-destruct with time. Bitterness is a product not only of being hurt but of not forgiving and letting go of what happened. Yes, you’re right to feel hurt and angry about what happened. Yes those things shouldn’t have happened to you in the first place. But they did anyway and you have to learn to live with them. In the process of learning to walk, kids fall many times and even get wounded some times. But they also learn to rise up from the ground and walk again instead of staying angry and blaming the stone/ground for hurting them.  The #1 antidote to bitterness is forgiveness. Will it be easy? Of course not. Forgiveness is a process that begins the healing of your soul and eventually enables you to get to the point it doesn’t hurt anymore. Will you get to that point? Only if you take the first step - forgiveness. 

It’s a Serious Matter

Bitterness is a slow poison that will poison every aspect of your life if you don’t deal with it. We have to nip it in the bud immediately. Keep a date with me tomorrow as we talk about bitterness, its effects and how to forgive and overcome it. For more on bitterness, click here and here to read similar posts on bitterness.

P:S-Kindly share this post with everyone you think is plagued with bitterness. It will do them a lot of good plus you’ll be saving a life.

Are you at a crossroad? Do you need advice or counsel on lady issues, relationship matters and life in general?  E-mail me on graceyokoye@yahoo.com and I’ll be glad to help.

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