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no good reason.

there is no good reason for people to treat you poorly.

“they had [the terrible thing happen], which is why they [do the terrible things] when they are overwhelmed. so not only do i take the extra steps and necessary precautions to make their life easier, i must also put up with [all their terrible behavior].” no. and when you finally cut out the garbage you were tolerating from others, even knowing the whole story and exactly where it all came from, you’ll come home to find all the ways you still treat yourself poorly.

“i had a bad childhood, which is why i eat/drink/spend/shout about it.” no. you don’t have to drink until you get fired again. you don’t have to eat until you hate yourself. you don’t have to shop until the garage is full and your wallet is empty. you don’t have to be violent just because it’s the house you grew up in.

sometimes the hard work is not in doing more: more gym, more control, more journaling, more meditation. sometimes the hard work is in doing less: less shame, less blame, less judgment, less anger. when we refuse to treat ourselves poorly, it becomes easier to release the negativity we used to justify, empathize with and maybe even agree with.

there are thousands of reasons for lack of kindness in the world. none of them matter. there is never a good reason for anyone to treat you poorly, and that includes you.