Most of us have the intention of doing things that are good for us, and when we don’t do those things sometimes our lives become more difficult.
When we eat healthy, we feel good.
When we exercise we feel strong.
When we love we feel warmth.
When we forgive, we release negative emotions that consume our energy. When something ‘eats away’ at us, it takes up our time and our mental capacity.
It’s not always easy to execute on a good intention, and it’s not always easy to forgive either. Forgiveness in most situations is essential for your own soul and mental wellbeing. When bad situations hang over us they draw our attention away from other areas in our life.
People who don’t forgive and hold grudges usually become more withdrawn socially and tend to be less open, which can affect relationships and cause loneliness for that individual. Studies have shown that an individual who is less likely to forgive is also less likely to form deep, strong emotional bonds with others. It’s essential to have a close social network around you to support you throughout life and lack of forgiveness and understanding can cause these networks to cease.
You can directly sabotage your own life in holding a grudge.
A person who is less empathetic and less willing to forgive others for their wrongdoings will tend to harbor resentment. Resentment can be a powerful negative emotion which causes stress. Humans do not respond well to stress and this stress can build up and cause both physiological and psychological issues for a person.
Unforgiving emotions and feelings can cause physical manifestation of symptoms to occur such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. Over long periods of time these symptoms can cause damage to your body.
You can directly sabotage your own body in holding a grudge.
Exercising forgiveness can be a process and isn’t something you can force to occur overnight but it is something you should try to remain mindful of. You might have had wrong done to you, but you cannot allow that to affect other areas of your life.
When someone lets you down or betrays your trust it can be difficult to move forward, particularly if it is a spouse or loved one.
“How will I ever be able to trust someone again?”
Extending forgiveness will allow you to move on from that thought and embrace your own life fully. Dwelling on the negative will cause you long term damage in other relationships. People may not ask for forgiveness, but other people are a variable you cannot control – what you can control is your own forgiveness. Your mental and physical health as well as future relationships will all thank you for a little forgiveness every now and again.
Forgive for yourself, it’s good for you.
Forgiveness provides you with the freedom to live a good, stress free and happy life with strong connections and deep roots.