Why forgiveness is important in life

We’ve all been hurt by the words or actions of others and/or felt the sting of remorse over our own choices.

These hurts often leave us with lasting and festering wounds. Wounds that ooze feelings of bitterness and anger and that keep us feeling trapped, powerless and down.

Not that we should ignore or dismiss on-going abusive behavior from ourselves or others, but more that we should figure out how not to let our potential for joy get swallowed up by past hurts or injustices.

We are energetic beings and the negative energy of lugging that heavy weight around, and being held prisoner to past hurts, is stopping from us from living a happier life.

This is why forgiveness is so important. Forgiveness raises our vibration and helps us welcome and enjoy the present.

Why change?

Because if you don’t figure out how to practice forgiveness, you might be the one who pays most dearly.

By embracing forgiveness, you make space in your heart to welcome in more peace, hope, gratitude, and joy in your life.

Consider how staying angry and hurt are blocking you from growth and from feeling good. And how forgiveness might be the path that can lead you to increased physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Forgiveness reduces steam.

Letting go of anger can helps us become emotionally healthier. Forgiveness helps us move to the next step, which may be build better habits, better choices, healthier boundaries.

Reducing the steam of anger and grudges helps shift us from a victim mentality and move into a position of power over how we feel.

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain

We can choose to release, vent, resolve and grow from these difficult and unfair experiences instead of allowing our lives to be controlled and defined by them.

Forgiveness might help you live longer.

Studies have found that the act of forgiveness can reap huge rewards for your health, lowering the risk of heart attack; improving cholesterol levels and sleep; and reducing pain, blood pressure, and levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. Research has shown an increase in the connection between forgiveness and health as we age!

“There is an enormous physical burden to being hurt and disappointed.” – Karen Swartz, MD, Mood Disorders Adult Consultation Clinic Director, John Hopkins Hospital

Positive emotions have been linked to well-being in studies that suggests that increase in positive emotion improves cognitive abilities and relational skills and had long term health effect measured through longevity studies.

“A growing body of literature supports a link between positive emotions and health in older adults.” – Anthony D. Ong, National Institute of Health

Forgiving others help us forgive ourselves.

The benefits and value of forgiveness are evident and begin with us.

Self-forgiveness is an important part of our ability to forgive others and can help us live a more fulfilled and loving life.

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.” – Dalai Lama

Self-forgiveness opens the floodgates and can release pent up subliminal guilt and shame. The kind of negative self-hate that stops us from pursuing our dreams and blocks us from receiving more abundance and joy in life.

Forgiveness fuels our forward momentum.

Forgiveness is not the same as condoning or forgetting.

It’s not a means to erase or suddenly find acceptable the past, our mistakes, the trespasses of others, injustice, unfairness.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Forgiveness is a means for moving forward. It is a conscious decision to stop being stuck, wounded, and immobilized in a state of hurt and anger.

Realize you have a choice.

Forgiveness is an empowered choice.

It doesn’t come from a place of weakness. It comes from your intentional desire to stop letting anger and resentment eat up your energy and potential for positive energetic actions.

“The more you let go of what no longer serves you, the more and more you thrive, expand, and vibrate higher.” – Lalah Delia

The timeline for processing the hurt and being able to release it is personal and will vary. So, be gentle with yourself.

Acknowledge your feelings, be honest with yourself about how not forgiving has been handicapping your growth. Trust your heart’s desire to shed that burden.

Grow Compassion

Compassion is having empathy toward the person, situation, entity, (or yourself). It’s key to being able to forgive. The ability to see other points of view, accept the imperfections and consider the many factors that arrived at the hurt is part of healing.

Again, it’s not about excusing or approving whatever happened – instead, it’s about releasing.

Taking a heart-centered compassionate approach to yourself and the past can help you find peace.

Nothing good comes from hate.

Whether we are hating someone, some thing, or ourselves, hate is destructive.

Letting go of bitterness, hostility and blame can lead us to healthier relationships, less anxiety, reduced stress and improve our overall outlook on life.

Forgiveness is a foundational step in making change, doing better, learning, and growing.

Forgiveness is a state of expansion rather than the contraction. And expansion is what opens us up to living a happier life, being kinder and more loving humans to each other, understanding others, and generally being better people.

And who doesn’t want that?

Cheers to doing the work to help ourselves find more joy. To being open, to having choices, to growing more compassion, and to inviting forgiveness as a part of living our best life. – Marlene

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