The act of forgiveness allows you to consciously release feelings of resentment and anger. It doesn’t mean what happened is ok or was not significant, and it doesn’t diminish the fact that you were hurt, or that you hurt another. Forgiveness is really just a conscious choice you make to shift your focus from the past to the present.
Forgiving others is important for the health of your relationships, but perhaps not as important as forgiving yourself. While you may be able to extend forgiveness to others, it’s often difficult to extend it to the one person who will always have the most impact on your relationships: YOU.
Here are some affirmations to remind you of when you need to forgive yourself:
- I am worthy of forgiveness.
- I accept that I am human and make mistakes.
- I learn from my mistakes.
- I do not judge my behavior from the past.
- I do not punish and criticize myself.
- I focus on the present and growing as I move forward.
- I am grateful for the insight I have gained and the opportunity to make a better choice moving forward.
- I show myself grace and compassion.
- I accept myself as I am.
- I forgive myself and look forward to a fresh start.
Self-forgiveness means compassionately putting past hurts, offenses, and mistakes where they truly belong – in the past. It’s the ability to not only put the past behind you, but to grow, learn, and love yourself in light of it, rather than in spite of it. We are who we are today because of everything we’ve experienced – positive and not-so-positive – in our past. Every moment from this one back has made us who we are in this instant. Be grateful for the learning, gentle with your own feelings, and curious about how you can turn mistakes into miracles. Because that’s what forgiveness is: The miracle of a new beginning.