Why You Should Forgive Yourself — Even When It Hurts
Sometimes the most important act of forgiveness is the one you extend to yourself.
“In order to heal we must forgive . . . and sometimes the person we must forgive is ourselves.” — Mila Bron
This week, I’ve been relentlessly tempted to not forgive myself for the things I have done and the things I didn’t have the courage to do.
I made mistakes I thought I had outgrown, and failed to do what I know I ought to have the strength to do at this point in my life. I felt ashamed — and in shame, I beat myself down even further.
And that’s not how I should have gone about it.
Life is an ever-changing fabric, and so often we see it checkered with regrets. And when we feel that pain, how hard it is at times to let it go, to look ourselves in the eye and smile, to say those words:
‘I forgive you.’
We’re often told to forgive others, to turn the other cheek, to be kind and merciful and virtuous to other people. But what about ourselves?
It would seem we’re conditioned to be hard on ourselves, not merciful. I certainly know I am — and how I take that to my…
