The power of Forgiveness
Sometimes we feel heavy because we carry the weight of grief and anger from the past. We may still be upset with our parents, our ex-boyfriend or our boss. We can also be upset with ourselves for the things we did or did not do (and should have done in our Mind) in the past. We carry all those grudges to our present and they weigh us down. One way to lighten up our body is to lighten up our mind and heart. Forgiveness has this power. To forgive does not mean to give a free pass to somebody who hurt us in the past or enable abusive people in our surroundings to continue with such behaviour. It does not mean to forget the pain or wrongdoing that was done. It is about setting yourself free, so you can find a new energy and start a new chapter of your life. It is about letting go of our idea about how our past should be different. There are many benefits of forgiveness: lower heart rate, lower stress, reduced fatigue, lower depression and more positivity in our life. Sometimes, we forgive on the rational level but emotionally we still feel anger or resentment and we don't know how to cope with it. Try these steps to practice forgiveness:
Make a list of people you have to / you would like to forgive. Include yourself.
Write freely all that upset you in the story, all things they did to you or did not do, spit all grudges and resentment on a white paper. Get your anger free and release everything on the paper, without thinking about grammar or punctuation. It is free writing.
Burn the paper in the sink. To ashes. Thank for being free of the pain and anger. (If you cannot burn it, tear it and throw it outside of your house).
Rewrite the story with you being the hero of a free world, with bright and free future, new positivity and new plans, dreams or at least new health and energy in your life.
Let me know how this exercise went. Love and love yourself.
