You know that feeling when you’ve had a fall out with a family member, a friend, your partner, or colleague because they’ve done something that you didn’t feel was right, or maybe they said something hurtful to you? We've all been there at one time or another!
Most of the challenges we have in our lives are because we have expectations of other people and the world.
We want the world to be a certain way, and when it is not, we get angry and anxious.
You can’t have a life of fulfillment if it’s reliant on everyone else behaving a certain way in order to meet your needs. We will always carry pain and hurt in our hearts as long as we have expectations of other people and life conditions. When we embrace the gift of forgiveness – forgiving ourselves, others, and the world for its flaws – that negativity is replaced by gratitude.
Forgiveness is understanding that the only person you hurt when you’re upset – no matter how justified it may be – is yourself.
Even if everything in you wants to blame someone else, consider embracing the gift of forgiveness.
Even if it means letting go of the relationship, (and sometimes that is necessary for your own life) still practice forgiving this person, not for them or necessarily even to them, but inside you so that YOU can be free✨
THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS
HEALTHIER RELATIONSHIPS
Do you hold onto grudges in your relationship? Are you stuck in the past, unable to forgive a past partner who caused you hurt? Forgiveness is a gift that can heal hearts and relationships. It can help you learn how to love again if this previous hurt is causing you trouble in trying to find a partner. It can also strengthen your current relationship.
IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH
When you carry around negative emotions – anger, blame or grudges – they start to get heavy, for YOU. When you make the choice to release them, you’re also releasing the stress they cause. The gift of forgiveness is for yourself, not for the other person.
ENHANCED PHYSICAL HEALTH
Negative emotions put strain not only on your mind, but also on your body. When you learn to live your life with more love and gratitude instead of holding grudges, you can improve your immune system, lower your blood pressure, and ultimately live a happier, healthier, more peaceful life.
Forgiveness is a journey but if this resonates with you – it's a journey worth starting today!
Here are some helpful tips to get you started.
- RELEASE THE JUDGEMENT OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS
There is always a kinder way, a gentler and more compassionate reaction you can have. And not just with others – with yourself, too. Most people say things to themselves – about themselves – that they would never say to someone else. Practice being kind to yourself and to others. Sometimes someone can be a certain way or say something that you don’t agree with, but you never know what’s truly going on under the surface. Practice compassion over judgement.
- LET GO OF EXPECTATIONS
When the world doesn’t match up with our blueprint for how we think our lives need to be – or what we think we deserve – we can easily descend into jealousy and blame. Practice catching yourself when you begin to think this way. Recognize when you have unrealistic expectations in your relationship and begin to accept your partner instead, flaws and all. That doesn’t mean throwing out healthy expectations from a partner like support and intimacy. It means shifting your focus away from the small stuff and focusing on the good.
- EMPOWER YOURSELF
Ultimately, the gift of forgiveness is about empowerment. It’s about realizing that YOU are the only one who is truly responsible for your life! Yes, people have wronged you – sometimes horribly. But as long as you continue to harbour resentment and anger, you are giving them power. You must begin realizing that life happens for you, not to you. All of your past experiences can serve to make you a stronger, more resilient person. Forgiveness is a gift that is possible for everyone, if we choose empowering beliefs over limiting ones.
Everyone experiences pain in life. While some tragedies are more life-altering than others, the feeling of suffering is very real for all of us at some stage or another. The difference between those who find peace and those who do not is their ability to discover the gift of forgiveness.
I hope this has resonated with you today!
Have a great week!
Remember, it’s always, always up to you! ?
I hope this has helped you today!
Deirdre x