The Little Me
When they speak a bit louder,
Her body remembers,
When she held back her voice in silence,
A time devoid of presence.
When they're spitting their words out,
Her body acts out-
As if she'd never had enough
To even feel enough.
She’s just a little girl,
Her fists upon the door,
Longing for the hug
That never came before.
Yanma Hidayah
Wed 18th Jun 2025 22:18
I came across a piece of writing that made me feel the need to share something. It spoke about old wounds that were never truly healed. In psychology, this is referred to as unfinished business.
In Gestalt theory, unfinished business refers to feelings, experiences, or conflicts from the past that remain unresolved. These linger in the subconscious or even within the body, and tend to resurface in the present, especially through intense emotions that sometimes feel disproportionate to the current situation. For example: when you were sad but told to be quiet. When you needed a hug but were met with anger. When you wanted to be heard, but were told you were overreacting. Those experiences were never fully processed. They stayed, hidden in your body and your emotional memory.
So when today you speak to the people who once caused those wounds, even small interactions can awaken those buried feelings. It’s not just your present self who responds, but also the little version of you who was once hurt and never got the chance to speak.
Sometimes, our emotions are not triggered by what’s happening now, but by echoes of what once was. Anger doesn’t always mean you’re a bad person—often, it’s your defense mechanism trying to protect you from old pain.
And maybe, just maybe, the one you’re really angry at-isn’t the person in front of you today, but the one from long ago who never said, “I’m sorry.”