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How Resentment Creeps In and Wrecks Your Relationship

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Resentment is the silent saboteur — the unspoken anger and frustration that festers beneath the surface, slowly poisoning your connection. The problem? Most people don’t even recognize it’s happening until it’s already done significant damage.

Resentment often starts small. Maybe your partner didn’t follow through on something they promised. Maybe you feel like you’re giving more than you’re receiving. Maybe there’s a recurring issue that never gets resolved, and instead of addressing it, you let it slide — over and over again.

At first, it’s just an irritation, a minor frustration you don’t think is worth bringing up. But over time, those little grievances start to accumulate. You start to feel like your needs aren’t being met, like your efforts aren’t being appreciated. And instead of addressing these feelings head-on, you bury them, hoping they’ll disappear on their own.

But here’s the thing: buried emotions don’t go away. They grow. And when those unaddressed feelings of frustration, disappointment, or anger accumulate, they turn into resentment.

The danger of resentment is in its subtlety. Unlike an argument, which brings things out into the open, resentment simmers beneath the surface. You might not even be fully aware that it’s there, but it shows up in small, passive-aggressive ways: a sarcastic comment here, an eye roll there, a quiet withdrawal from the relationship.

You start to pull away emotionally, creating........

© Psychology Today


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