In a society that has become more and more polarized, forgiveness is often overshadowed. There are however a number of benefits to forgiveness. A recent survey found that people who have forgave someone else felt healthier and less stressed, had fewer mental health complaints, and were more at peace with themselves than those who had not forgiven anyone.
Forgiveness allows us to let go of the past, which is an important step for moving forward in life. On average, we forgive those who have wronged us about 70% of the time – but what do you think about forgiving someone you don’t know? Frankly speaking, I find it difficult as I tend to hold grudges when I feel wronged or betrayed.
Forgiveness is a really important part of emotional health. It’s necessary for us to let go of our resentments and grudges, no matter how long they’ve been held on to. Forgiveness is the act of forgiving another person or oneself for an offense. For example, someone who is abusing alcohol would need to forgive themselves before they are able to stop drinking.
In terms of forgiveness, it’s more about letting go than forgetting the offense, although there may be some overlap with memory-related effects such as forgetting the offense as well as feeling better about oneself and life in general.
“Forgiving yourself sets you free.”- Oprah Winfrey