“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Springtime is a great time of year for cleaning of all kinds. Some of us think of spring cleaning as the deep cleaning we do inside our homes after being inside so much over the winter – opening the windows, airing the house, and scrubbing from top to bottom. Others think of spring cleaning as that outside work we need to do – picking up the twigs in the yards, preparing the flower beds, and raking away the last remnants of the leaves that snuck in after the autumn weather hit. But one of the most powerful “spring cleanings” we can address is our own emotional cleanup. Whether it is bottled up from lasting frustration, deep hurts or resentments, or the anger that can come from grief and disconnectedness, most emotional cleanup benefits by starting with forgiveness. So, if you are not in a regular habit, let’s invite a new habit starting this season.
Forgiveness is a powerful tool that can help you find peace and happiness in your life. It is the act of letting go of anger, resentment, and other negative emotions towards someone who has wronged you, and even letting go of those same feelings that we may hold toward ourselves. And while forgiveness may feel difficult to achieve when we are faced with a significant emotional disturbance, it is an essential step in our personal healing and happiness.
When we hold onto feelings of anger and resentment, we are essentially tying ourselves to emotional baggage that relentlessly weighs us down and causes stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions. We are deliberately putting ourselves in a state of disturbance. Forgiveness, on the other hand, helps us to cut the ties that bind us to that baggage and allows us to move on from past hurts. Instead of being chained to a rock as we jump into life’s river, drowning by our own hand, we choose to cut those chains and allow ourselves to float to the top and flow with the current. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that we condone the behavior of the person who wronged us, but rather, it means that we choose to let go of the negative emotions associated with that event. Forgiveness isn’t something we do TO another person; it is something we do FOR ourselves.
And it’s got scientifically proven benefits as well! Research has shown that forgiveness can significantly improve our emotional wellbeing. Studies have found that people who practice forgiveness are less likely to experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. They also have higher levels of self-esteem, lower levels of anger, and a greater sense of overall life satisfaction. (For those of you who like to check sources: vanOyen Witvliet C, Ludwig TE, Vander Laan KL. Granting forgiveness or harboring grudges: implications for emotion, physiology, and health. Psychol Sci. 2001 Mar;12(2):117-23. doi: 10.1111/1467-9280.00320. PMID: 11340919.)
And committing to that constant attitude of forgiveness can also improve our relationships with others. When we forgive someone, we open the door for reconciliation and healing. This “letting go of negativity” can help repair damaged relationships, leading to greater understanding and empathy. None of us is perfect, no one has walked through this life without causing hurt to another at some point in time. By being aware of our shared state of humanity, we can find faster paths toward forgiveness. And along that path we can experience its transformational power and invite it to help us create a more positive and joyful life for ourselves and those with whom we interact. As Mark Twain so eloquently put it, “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
Are you holding onto negative emotions, hurts, and resentments that are holding you down or holding you back from being truly happy and free? It’s Spring! Let’s use this energy to let it go and start our year out fresh and clear.
(Post Assisted by AI)