Few steps that can lead you to  ‘True Forgiveness’

 1:  Acknowledging  the hurt experienced 

 2: Consider- Consider how the hurt and pain has affected you personally.

 3:  Accept with the profound knowledge that you cannot change the past. 

 4: Determine. Commit and Decide to  Let Go and Forgive. You aren’t going to do it in a second or maybe not even in a day.  Think about the pros and cons. What problems does this pain cause you? Realise you have a choice.

5. Empathise. 

6. Understand your responsibility.

7. Focus on the present. 

8. Allow peace to enter your life. 

9. Feel compassion

The health benefits of forgiving someone:

Failing to forgive, or unforgiveness, is the practice of engaging in ruminative thoughts of anger, vengeance, hate, and resentment that have unproductive outcomes for the ruminator, such as increased anxiety, depression, elevated blood pressure, vascular resistance, decreased immune response, and worse outcomes.

Some other benefits include –

• Healthier relationships.
• Improved mental health.
• Less anxiety, stress and hostility.
• Fewer symptoms of depression.
• A stronger immune system.
• Improved heart health.
• Improved self-esteem.

The negative effects of unforgiveness

How do you forgive and heal?

When you acknowledge what happened and accept that you can’t change the past, you find the motivation to do something of value for yourself: forgive and heal. Expressing your forgiveness directly to the person who hurt you isn’t always necessary or possible. Forgiving someone is for your benefit, not theirs.

Forgiveness and  your mental health

Research has shown that forgiveness is linked to mental health outcomes such as reduced anxiety, depression and major psychiatric disorders, as well as with fewer physical health symptoms and lower mortality rates

Forgiveness is essential to healing

The researchers have found that individuals who truly forgive experience increased hopefulness, decreased anger, improved spiritual connection, increased self-confidence, improved relationships and reduced stress – with corresponding enhancements to physical and mental health.

Why is forgiveness so hard?

Ways that hinder forgiveness may include: holding on to the grudge, thinking it will somehow punish the other person so we can feel righteous; hoping we will be protected from getting hurt again; believing that fairness and justice must be served, since the other person was wrong.