Don’t do it for them. Do it for yourself.
It’s normal to feel anger and resentment towards the people who wrong us. But when those negative emotions haunt our thoughts and influence our behavior, it means we’re only operating through the pain they caused. You can break the chain by offering forgiveness instead of wasting time thinking about justice and revenge.
Compassionate insight and effective coping allow us to take the power back into our own hands. Think of it as a positive power play. By extending grace to someone who hurt you, you free yourself to move on with your life.
As we age, we collect emotional souvenirs. Without reflection, these can become burdens and grudges. Since we can’t control what other people do, there’s no point in waiting around for them to apologize or make things right. Forgiveness is something you can accomplish on your own.
For more advice on how to work through emotional pain, visit our Instaread on Forgiving What You Can’t Forget.
