Mental Health Relationships

7 Reasons Why Seeking Revenge Is A Bad Idea

When someone hurts or betrays you, you might feel the urge to cause them distress in return, but take it from us – that is never a good idea.

Here are 7 reasons why seeking revenge is a bad idea:

1. It won’t make you feel better.

It was Shakespeare that said, “If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?” Revenge might seem like a logical – even inevitable reaction. You might be thinking that it will also provide great relief from the pain that you are feeling or some sort of satisfaction.

Sadly, evidence shows that people who seek revenge instead of forgiving or letting go, tend to feel worse in the long run. You are much better off channelling your energy into moving forward positively with your life.

2. In fact, it might make you feel worse.

I hate to break it to you, but if you consider yourself to be a decent human being, causing someone else distress or pain (whether you think they are deserving of it or not) might not put the smile on your face you were hoping for. In fact, it might make you feel worse; you might feel guilty, upset, regretful – and these kinds of feelings tend to linger and weigh heavy on your conscience.

While you might feel hurt or betrayed right now, eventually you will be able to put those feelings behind you, but if you burden your conscience with guilt, you are more likely to ruminate over your actions – this makes moving on much harder and only puts your life on hold.

3. It could backfire.

Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” Think about the repercussions of your actions – you might end up in trouble with a teacher or parent for seeking revenge. You might even put yourself in harm’s way.

What can really be gained? It is far better to save yourself from the possibility of further trauma.  Focus on the good things in your life and look at how you can move forward, putting the person who hurt you firmly in the past.

4. You are wasting precious time.

Not to sound cliche but life is short! Do you really want to waste your precious time on someone that doesn’t deserve it? Think of all the fun things you could be doing instead of acting like Mr. Burns and plotting, planning and focusing your energy on the negative.

How can you make way for new, positive experiences if you are preoccupied with wreaking havoc?

5. Because, karma.

Whether you believe in it or not, karma makes a much better friend than a foe – make sure to keep on the right side of it:

6. Two wrongs don’t make a right. 

Fact. Seeking revenge isn’t going to undo the actions of the person who has wronged you. So do the right thing, be the bigger person – you will be glad you did so in the long run.

7. You could get caught in an endless revenge loop. 

So, you seek revenge on the person who hurt you. They then take revenge on your revenge…and the cycle continues. Make sure you don’t get caught in a loop, it will only cause you further pain and hurt. Try and leave negativity and people who bring you down in the past. They are not worth your time and energy.

So, is revenge worth it? No. 

Has somebody hurt or betrayed you? Join our Community to discuss.


What is revenge?

Revenge is the action of hurting or harming someone in response to a grievance or wrong suffered at their hands.

What is an example of revenge?

Let’s say somebody calls you a rude name, an act of revenge would be to call them a rude name back.

Is revenge good for you?

No. It won’t make you feel better and it’ll probably make you feel worse. Spend your time on positive thoughts and experiences.

We post daily positive quotes on our Instagram.


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