At least once in your life you have been in a situation where someone doesn’t meet your expectations or even breaks your trust. Betrayal can be hard to overcome and often times forgiveness seems unreasonable. Well, we are here to tell you that it is possible to forgive and to let go of your burden.
Why is it so hard to forgive?
When you are being hurt by someone close to you, you feel like you could never trust that person again. What is more, you start doubting everyone else as well. You believe that if you forgive this person things will go back to normal as if nothing has been done at all. You feel like that is just not fair. Likewise, it may be difficult for you to forgive if you look at forgiveness as a betrayal to your own self.
Although this may be the way you are feeling, it is simply not right. Forgiveness does not work in favour of the person who has hurt you. To forgive means to free your mind from the negativity that this experience has brought you and to accept things the way they are.
Why is it important to learn how to forgive?
First of all, forgiveness is necessary when it comes to your own mental health. Letting go of your grudges can be helpful for lowering stress and anxiety levels, having strong and healthier relationships and improving your sleep cycle. What is more it can even help you boost your physical health. Studies have shown that the act of forgiving can lead to reducing levels of blood pressure and physical pain and improving the functions of the immune system.
In other words, to forgive means to heal yourself.
However, until we forgive we can get so overwhelmed that we could let these negative emotions affect all the aspects of our lives. This can be harmful for our relationships and it can also damage our perspective of other people’s intentions. We can even get to the point where we are suspicious of every single person and we break our connections with them just because we feel afraid that we might get hurt again.
What you need to understand is that by forgiving you won’t be acting like the initial betrayal has never happened. You don’t have to pretend that everything is back to normal. The person who has hurt you will still meet the consequences of his own actions. In addition, by giving forgiveness you will feel relieved and you will be able to move on to the better things in your life.
Here are 5 easy steps that will help you forgive and liberate your mind from the bitterness.
1. Work through your own emotions
By simply connecting with your own mind, you can establish a strong, healthy control over your emotions. As they say, you are the master of your own faith. This can be applied to your feelings as well. Just focus on the experience without blaming anyone. Try to look at the situation from another perspective and take your time to understand and accept it.
2. Let go of the past
In the interest of self-growth and moving forward, letting go of the past is a must. People tend to carry past feelings and emotions but this often weights us down. The past stands in the way of the present and we need to prevent that. What you can do in order to avoid that is practice living in the present moment by just sitting and observing the nature and the people around you. It takes a great deal of courage to forgive but once you do you will be liberated and you will be able to appreciate every little moment of your life.
3. Take the wheel
Pull yourself together. It is surely not as easy as it sounds but you have to make the effort to get back on your feet and stop putting yourself in the role of the victim. Choosing to forgive makes you powerful and helps you grow as a person.
4. Learning is key
Regardless good or bad, every experience we go trough has a powerful message or an essential lesson behind it. Your mission is to recognize that lesson and to accept the fact that what is happening to you is part of your journey through personal and spiritual growth.
5. Sharing is caring
This last step means that despite the situation, you need to share love and positivity even to the ones who has hurt you. Instead of focusing on their negative impact, show them that you are a good person and you are in charge of your emotions. Not only this will help you cross out any emotional debt you may have, but it will also bring you inner peace.
Now is the perfect time to forgive.
Forgiveness is an act of goodwill and it shows that you are a genuine person with a good heart. You are just 5 steps away from living a happier, healthier and meaningful life.
