Forgiving Others is Hard, but Forgiving Ourselves is Harder.

We are told to forgive our (ex)partners, our parents, our friends, in order to heal from the trauma we’ve experienced.

All major religions mention forgiveness, but not one of them really elaborate on self-forgiveness.

Forgiving can be so powerful, and it can make your life feel lighter once it’s done, but why do we concentrate on forgiving other people? We give so much attention to the outside while running away from our own body, mind, and soul.

Since I started personally tackling my past traumas and the guilt and shame that came along with it, my self-sabotaging habits have greatly improved. I’m able to handle stress a lot better, and am practicing more self care than I can ever remember.

Self-compassion is key. It allows your to treat yourself better than you ever have before. Your priorities change and you start to put your own well-being first.

The hard part is, good things take time, and forgiving ourselves requires us to do some psychological work. This has been the toughest thing I’ve personally ever done in my life, but it’s very much worth it!

Acknowledgment and awareness are the first steps for everything. Only then can you work on repairing relationships, even the one with ourselves. Self-forgiveness is a gift to yourself. But without acknowledging any wrongdoing and developing a feeling of responsibility, there is nothing to forgive.

I personally am guilty of wasting many years overthinking and staying in unhealthy relationships. Nowadays, (in my mind) I hug the old me, and give that man all the compassion he needs. I even talk to him sometimes, but most of the time, I smile, knowing he has grown and forgiven himself.

I saved that man and will never let him down again.

If you need help saving, please reach out.