In today’s world, we’re constantly bombarded by people telling us how bad we are. It’s hard not to feel as though we have negative feelings about ourselves.
But here’s the thing: you’re not broken. Yes, you’ve made mistakes, but you also have the ability to let go. And once you do so, your mind, body, and relationships will thank you.
Here are six steps to help you start practicing forgiveness:
- Accept Your Mistakes
You may think that you can’t forgive others until you’ve forgiven yourself. But the truth is, the opposite is true. To truly accept where you’re at and what you’ve done wrong, you must first accept yourself.
This means accepting what happened, but also accepting who you were before. If you don’t do this, you’ll only end up feeling worse.
So, start by asking yourself: am I accepting that I messed up? Or am I condemning myself to repeat mistakes?
Once you acknowledge that you made a mistake, then ask yourself: is there something that I can learn from this?
- Tell the Truth
As much as we all want to tell ourselves stories, there comes a point when we need to be honest with ourselves. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean that you forget what they did to you. And it certainly doesn’t mean that you’ll ever forget what you did to them.
It does, however, mean that you are willing to forgive. And if you’re ready to be that person, then tell the truth.
Remember: there’s no “honesty” without “forgiveness.”
- Practice Compassion
While there’s nothing wrong with being angry with another person, there is a big difference between holding on to anger and forgiving someone.
Compassion is more than just an emotion that’s reserved for loved ones. In fact, practicing it can improve your overall mental health and well-being.
When we become angry, our blood pressure rises and we release stress hormones.
This can leave us exhausted, grumpy, and less likely to handle the day. It’s easy to hold on to a grudge because it feels easier than letting go of anger.
But when you hold on to anger, you actually cause yourself to feel worse. And that’s not good for anyone.
So, try this exercise: when you start getting angry, stop and instead imagine how you would feel if you were the person being criticized.
If you want to forgive someone, the most important thing you can do is practice compassion.
- Understand Others
The more we understand others, the more we’re able to help them. After all, when we truly understand why someone is behaving in a certain way, we can do