Someone you cared about hurt you, and you find yourself feeling sad, angry and hurt. You are compelled to "forgive and forget," but every time you close your eyes, you are reminded of the incident and the person who caused you pain. So what comes next? You are admonsihsed by others to forgive and forget. You should forgive, but should you forget? Well, here are four reasons why you should forgive, but not completely forget:
Find peace of mind- In order to heal, you must let go; and the only way to do that is to forgive. Negative emotions will disturb your mind, preventing inner peace. When you forgive, you break through the shackles, and open the door to a more positive outlook. Once you find peace of mind, you can better focus on your own goals in life.
Improves your health- Yes, your health depends on it! Your body can go into fight-or-flight mode when you hold onto resentment or experience chronic anger. This can cause various changes in heart-rate, blood pressure, and immune system responsiveness. These changes can increase the risk of severe post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, heart diseases, diabetes, high cholesterol, and more. Forgiveness offers major benefits for your health; when you let go of the resentment and hate, your cholesterol and sleep levels improve. You can reduce chronic pain, blood pressure, depression, anxiety, and stress; all through the act of forgiveness (amazing!). Forgive, not for the sake of others, but for yourself; and because you deserve to live a long and healthy life.
Learn from past experiences- We can learn from experiences, gain understanding, and move on. We will learn about ourselves, and how we handle our emotions. Gaining this knowledge will prepare you for any future conflicts and their emotional impact. After all, life is about learning from whatever is thrown your way.
- Rumi
Protect yourself from letting it happen again- Dwelling on an incident will only cause stress and negativity. The best and healthiest thing to do is forgive and move on with (or without) them. It’s important to remember what happened only in order to learn from it. This is why forgetting is not always the answer.
It's not easy to forgive those who have hurt you or caused you pain, but practicing forgiveness leads to a happier and healthier life. You forgive because you deserve to live life fully, and not for the sake of others. Remember, you learn valuable lessons from these experiences, and you will carry them with you as you travel down this road called life.
