The psychologist warned about the destructive effect of long-term resentment on the body

Prolonged resentment can turn into chronic stress and negatively affect your health. Alexandra Grazhdanov, a psychologist in the AST (acceptance and responsibility therapy) approach, told Izvestia about this on April 20.

"Resentment is not just an emotion. <...> It can be the cause of prolonged internal tension when a person constantly returns mentally to the situation," she noted.

According to the expert, with regular reproduction of experiences in the body, cortisol levels rise, heart rate increases and blood pressure increases. As a result, stress becomes chronic, which is associated with risks to physical and mental health.

She clarified that prolonged resentment can negatively affect the cardiovascular system, the immune system, and also increase the likelihood of anxiety and depression. She explained that it is important to distinguish a natural emotional reaction from a destructive one. Normally, a person experiences a sense of injustice, expresses emotions and gradually lets go of the situation. With a destructive model, there is a fixation — a person constantly replays what happened, and the experiences only intensify.

"The offense itself is generally normal. The problem begins when it becomes a chronic condition rather than a temporary reaction," the specialist clarified.

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In her opinion, awareness and articulation of emotions, as well as dealing with obsessive thoughts, help reduce stress levels. In particular, it is important to learn how to fix your feelings and distance yourself from them, assessing the situation more objectively. The expert added that forgiveness practices can also be effective, but it's not about justifying another person, but about reducing internal tension.

Citizens noted that difficulties with forgiveness may be related to personality traits, past experiences, or the lack of completeness of the situation. At the same time, people who are prone to forgiveness tend to experience less stress and cope better with emotional stress.

Psychologist Elena Dirinko said on April 13 that people in conflict situations are often inclined to blame the one who brought the other to tears, even if the circumstances are ambiguous. According to Dirinko, people tend to explain the behavior of others by their personal qualities rather than circumstances, so if a person cries, the second participant in the conflict is automatically perceived as an aggressor.