You Deserve It, So Let’s Work Towards Forgiveness

Forgiveness, whether for yourself or others, is easier said than done. Whatever your situation, whatever you may have done, all that you deserve is forgiveness. Continued self-punishment will harm your health and quality of life by causing continued stress, rocky relationships, and obsession concerning what you could have done differently.

As Maya Angelou once wrote, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” Those words continue to ring true today. We all make mistakes; it is part of being human. Once you have realized what you have done, you can begin to rectify. However, even as you do so, you can never change the past. You can only change how you act today, offer support to others, and do the best you can.

Taking time to forgive yourself will not happen overnight. It takes dedicated effort, and that is okay. Get started with the process using our suggested tools.

Journal

Writing is one of the best ways to process emotion and handle stress. Keeping a journal can help you process anger at yourself as it occurs. Later you can read and identify emotions and values, recognizing what has changed in your life and seeing how you have grown.

Listen to others

Join a support group online or in person. Connecting with others will help build a network and allow you to share similar experiences.

Remind yourself

You deserve forgiveness. Remind yourself of that fact every day. It takes time to retrain how you think. Tape a sticky note to your bathroom mirror. Change your desktop image or screen saver. When doubt creeps in take a moment to tell yourself that you can do it … you can forgive.

Speak to a counselor

Counselors offer unbiased, professional guidance. They can help you process and provide support as you work towards forgiveness. They can also identify additional supports and therapeutic techniques to keep you moving forward.

Are you ready to begin the journey to self-forgiveness? Call us today to see how we can help.