The Importance of Self-Forgiveness

April 27, 2023

Self-love, self-esteem, and self-forgiveness are some of the essential ingredients to a happy, healthy life. Self-forgiveness is knowing that you have made a mistake but being willing to accept your actions and behaviors in order to move forward in life. However, self-forgiveness is never as easy or as simple as it seems. Understanding your feelings, learning to forgive yourself, and making amends are a few ways to help yourself grow and self-forgive. Follow along in my blog as I introduce you to the importance of self-forgiveness.  

Understanding Your Own Emotions

Sometimes we can’t help our emotions taking over. It is only human to feel angry, sad, and frustrated with ourselves. While learning to forgive yourself, you need to become aware of the emotions that you will be feeling along the way. To reduce your stress and help your feelings, I would recommend jotting down the highs and lows of the day in a journal. All your emotions are valid, and when you experience a wide range of them, it only proves you are human. Once you understand them, it will help you to make your stress levels lower, improve your relationships, and learn to forgive yourself.

Mistakes Happen, and Forgiveness Is a Journey

People sometimes say that they can forgive, but forgetting might be a lot harder. Forgiving yourself or someone else is not a sign of weakness; it means you accept what happened and are willing to move past the situation. You can take some of these steps in order to forgive yourself:

1. Be kind to yourself
2. Take responsibility for your actions
3. Apologize to yourself for what you have done—you deserve to move on
4. Learn from your experiences and focus on making better decisions for your future

Make Amends

Making amends with others may be easier than with yourself. It is not always easy to forgive yourself for the mistakes you have made or for hurting someone else, but fixing your problems is better than avoiding them. When you make amends with yourself, you are growing and learning to accept that mistakes do happen. Here are a few ways to make amends:

• Acknowledge your mistakes
• Have compassion for yourself no matter how hard it is
• Take care of all your needs
• Learn that humans make mistakes

Seek Out Supports

Always remember that your feelings, emotions, and mental state are important. The key to eternal happiness is looking on the bright side of things, even when it seems impossible. Becoming aware of your emotions, acknowledging that mistakes happen, and making amends are huge parts of growing your self-love.

If you are thinking that these steps seem impossible to do on your own, contact Laurie Grengs Counseling. I will help you find the strength and empowerment to help you live a life of peace and happiness.