The fear of seeing someone that you have unresolved issues with can be a heavy weight to carry, especially when past interactions have left you feeling vulnerable or powerless. It’s not just about dreading the confrontation itself, but the anticipation of their outburst, their ability to push your buttons and manipulate your emotions in ways that make you feel small or insignificant. Over time, you might start to build an internal narrative, one where their anger or frustration becomes a looming threat that lingers in the back of your mind. Every encounter, even a passing one, can trigger that same sense of unease, leaving you on edge. The feeling of walking on eggshells intensifies, and you begin to question your own reactions, wondering if you’ll be able to handle the emotional fallout or if you’ll once again be caught off guard.
In many ways, this fear gives the other person a kind of power over you. It’s as if their outburst becomes a tool, not just for expressing anger but for maintaining control over your mental state. The longer this dynamic continues, the more you may find yourself shaped by the fear of their reaction, as though you’re constantly bracing for an emotional storm. It’s a subtle form of manipulation, one that doesn’t always involve direct confrontation but instead the looming presence of their unpredictability. In those moments, you realize that you’ve given them an unspoken authority over your own peace of mind. It’s exhausting to live in that constant state of alertness, wondering when or if the storm will come and if you’ll be strong enough to weather it without losing yourself in the process. The only way through it is to face it head on. To surrender and make peace with the situation, to attempt to resolve. When you attempt to resolve, the fear can dissolve.
