Therapists Really Wish You’d Stop Calling This “Trauma”

A manager gives vague feedback in a meeting, and for the rest of the day, it sits in your chest. You replay the wording, wonder if everyone else noticed and start drafting the version of the story where you were personally attacked.The experience might be upsetting. It might even reveal something real about your workplace, your confidence or the way criticism lands for you. But it probably isn’t trauma.The distinction matters. Trauma isn’t a synonym for discomfort, disappointment or a bad intera