I just read a quote on Reddit in a response by a random person that is hitting me like a ton of bricks.

[AZJonnie]

28. This is true, but you know what else you don't get an award for? BEING hurt in the first place.

I'm sorry if this sounds trite, and/or uncaring, but nobody can hurt me without my permission. In my life, if I don't feel like I deserve to be hurt (due to a misdeed of my own), I decline to feel hurt. I don't cede that power to others, and the words 'you made/make me feel like XYZ' are not in my vernacular, and that's by conscious choice. "Feeling hurt" is a voluntary reaction, just like "being ticklish". Yes, of course some pains are unavoidable, like if one's beloved spouse had an affair and then abandoned them, but most things? One actually can choose. Thus in my humble opinion, even better than 'speaking up when someone hurts you' ... is to choose not be hurt by whatever it was they said/did/didn't. There's no award for that either, but that's even more 'winning' if there were such accolades on offer. In any case, I hope whatever it is that pained you, the pain soon subsides. You're a great dude LC and I'm sure you didn't deserve bad treatment