Entitled to feel

You’re entitled to feel pain, even if other people have it worse. You know that, right?

Sometimes clients come to me expressing pain – they’re sad or worried or confused, they’re experiencing some sort of emotional discomfort – but then they dismiss their pain, saying ‘but I shouldn’t complain, others have it much worse’.

Now, I am all for being aware of others’ experiences, having sympathy and doing all you possibly can to help.

The thing is: there are always going to be people in the world who are worse off than you. So if we follow the ‘I shouldn’t complain, others have it much worse’ argument to its logical end, it would mean you were never entitled to feel bad. Which just doesn’t make sense.

So I wonder. Could we possibly agree that it’s ok for you to acknowledge others’ experiences and also feel your own feelings?

Yep? Super.

Tags: career-coaching, life-coaching, Melbourne