Monday, May 12, 2025 The Weight of Unseen Wounds If you don’t heal what hurt you, you’ll bleed on people who didn’t cut you Blogs National By Quentin Steen, Representative/BC Member Education Coordinator It wasn’t the first time I felt the sting. No one had spoken harshly, no one had crossed a line, yet my chest felt tight, and my words came out sharper than I intended. It was as if a hidden reservoir of hurt had broken loose, spilling over into moments that didn’t deserve it. I began to notice the pattern. The smallest inconveniences felt like personal attacks. A friend forgetting a text. A colleague’s curt response. Each one seemed to claw at wounds I thought had long healed. But they hadn’t. I was carrying scars—some still raw—from battles long over. Wounds from trust betrayed, love lost, and dreams deferred. And each unhealed hurt became a blade, cutting not only me but those who reached out with kindness, unaware of the edges they touched. The Mirror Moment One evening, after a particularly heated argument with a close friend, I found myself staring at the mirror. My reflection stared back, tired and weary, yet defiant. I whispered to myself, “Why do you keep doing this? They didn’t hurt you.” And that was when it hit me—the truth I had avoided for so long: If you don’t heal what hurt you, you’ll bleed on people who didn’t cut you. The Healing Journey Healing is messy work. It’s sitting with the pain you’ve buried deep. It’s naming the hurt, forgiving yourself, and sometimes others, for what’s been done. It’s crying over memories you swore wouldn’t affect you and learning to let go of the anger you thought protected you. I sought help—therapy, books, journaling. I learned to communicate better, to pause before reacting. Slowly, I stopped expecting the world to fix wounds it didn’t cause. Today I still have scars. I think I always will. But they remind me of how far I’ve come. They remind me that it’s possible to heal, to love fully without bleeding all over the kindness others extend. Now, when I feel the sting of old wounds, I ask myself: “Does this belong here? Or is it an echo of something that no longer serves you?” Quentin Steen is a certified mental health first aid instructor for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Get your BRAIN right and your MIND will follow! 3 Mental Health Resources to Help You If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health issue, CLAC has a number of resources and interactive tools available to help you at My Health and Wellness. Stronger Minds features videos and quick reads from mental health experts, activities to help you gain resilience, and ask-an-expert videos in response to questions. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) provides accessible, reliable, and professionally produced resources on an array of health topics including (but not limited to): addictions, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, etc. You might be interested in Dave’s Story: Resilience, Respect, and a Path Forward 20 Jun 2025 Celebrating Strength, Heritage, and Opportunity on National Indigenous Peoples Day 19 Jun 2025 Bryan’s Story: Honouring Heritage, Finding Connection 19 Jun 2025 Seeing with Two Eyes: Teachings from the Canadian Mining Expo 19 Jun 2025