You walk past a co-worker’s desk saying “Good Morning.” He responds with, “Yea, what’s good about it?” You comment to your child that he or she did a nice job on that school project only to have them respond, “Right! You don’t like anything I do.” You send your wife a text expressing how much you appreciated last night’s dinner. She rifles back, “My cooking is lousy and you know it.”

Most all of us have had those experiences – and maybe we are even the ones who sometimes respond in like manner. But why? When we find that we are easily frustrated or irritated, it usually indicates a deeper problem such as unresolved anger or sadness. It is possible that we are holding on to something that we need to let go, otherwise it will continue to eat at the foundation of our contentment with life.

Constant irritation is merely a manifestation of unresolved emotions which makes us miserable as well as those around us. Often the one that it most impacts is our partner. And yet, many might say that the majority of their unresolved frustrations are directly related to their mate; conflicts and disagreements which have been swept under the rug and never dealt with, deep hurts that have not been addressed, and so on.

Whether you are the one who is continually frustrated or your spouse, look a little more intently today and examine what issues have gone unresolved, what hurts have been left to fester. Then decide to reach out in some meaningful way to your partner to find ways to heal together so that you are free to experience a new level of contentment with each other.