Can you Forgive?

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.—Unknown

Forgiveness.

Ooh, that's a rough one. We all have something god-awful in our past, done to us by someone that just plain sucks. It can be so hard to get over.

I know for certain that you cannot truly move forward on your path to wellness successfully without letting go of past hurts. You don't have to forget about everything, but coming to terms with things, and allowing the person that wronged you to move forward peacefully can be incredibly healing for you. Holding onto negative feelings, for whatever reason, is toxic to you. That's right, to you. You are the one that will suffer the consequences of internalizing all of that negativity. Think about it, if you're angry with someone, they may not even know...even if they know about what they did, they may not realize it has hurt you to such an extent that you're still holding onto it all. Being angry continuously hurts you physically and emotionally. The next time you start reminiscing about this thing that upsets you, try to notice what it does to you....does your stomach clench, does your breathing quicken, do your muscles tighten up and does your face scowl? Emotionally, you may be in a great mood, but then you're reminded of what you're angry about and then bam! Your mood just took a nosedive and that's not good for you or the people around you.


I just want to take a moment to clarify and say that forgiving someone is not at all saying that you are allowing this person to continue to hurt you. This isn't to set yourself up to continue to go through the same situation.

You can do something as simple as writing down everything that upset you, including how it made you feel and any consequences that came from this event (or events). Just get it all out. Once you do this, you'll feel lighter, I promise. Then, if you want to take it to another level, light a candle, say a prayer or set an intention and burn that sucker! As the paper burns, it signifies a cleansing and elimination of the hurt feelings. The anger, frustration, embarrassment etc.

What past hurts can you let go of today....?

You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well. --Lewis B. Smedes