I don't think it's ever pathetic to acknowledge how bad you feel. The people I feel sorry for (as opposed to feeling empathy for) are those who "keep a stiff upper lip" and are always so stoic that they can't touch their painful stuff with a five foot pole.

There are only a few things I know for sure, and one of them (I'm channeling Dorothy Allison here) is that if you don't deal with your painful stuff it will come back to kick you in the teeth.

It seems backasswards, but you are taking a step forward in acknowledging that you are hurting-- to yourself, and to the board here. That is definitely not pathetic.