Forgivness is A Hell of a Drug

Not to many people have been on my bad side. There literally has been maybe one or two people in my life that I have truly hated for treating me the way they did and as well as the way I treated them and forgiveness was something I had to seek in order to cure my own brain and make myself whole and well again. Even if these people do not want to forgive you back, it is important that you seek forgiveness not only for their actions towards you but also how you treated them.

None of us our perfect and as much as we want to tell ourselves that we are, conflict and argument do not come from one sided opinions. In this guys mind I caused a lot of problems for him and in my mind, he caused lots of problems for me. We both did and said things to each other that set in stone the ending of our friendship however seeking forgiveness in the future is something I have recently done to make my life just a little bit better. Even though he never said it back I know he read it and for me that is all that matters.

Even though he did not apologize to me for the massive amount of pain and hurt he caused to my heart, I am happy for my apology I have given to him for my actions and I feel so much better inside getting that weight off my shoulders.

People hold onto anger for a variety of reasons. Being angry at someone releases chemicals in your body that can have destructive results on your body, mind, and daily routines. Here are some great things that can happen once you choose to seek forgiveness for your actions towards someone or for their actions towards you. You can forgive someone for hurting you, even if they are not asking for it, or want to give it back. Do it for your life, not for theirs.

These are some things that can happen when you forgive people or ask for forgiveness:

1. Reduction in depressive symptoms

2. decreased physical complaints such as aches and pains

3. Better conflict management

4. improved sleep quality and decrease in fatigue

5. Greater relief from stress

6. Lower heart rate and blood pressure

7. Strengthened spirituality

8. Decrease in medication use

9. Increase in purposeful, altruistic behaviors

10. Improved relationships (not just with the offending party but in other relationships as well)

The power of forgiveness is strong. We are only humans and we all make mistakes. I know in my life I hurt some people. Yes, they hurt me as well, but that does not matter. I know that I hurt them too, and seeking forgiveness for the way I handled the situation was something that needed to be done in order for me to continue on with a productive, healthy, and well rounded life.

Sources:

Karremans JC, Van Lange PA, Holland RW. Forgiveness and its associations with prosocial thinking, feeling, and doing beyond the relationship with the offender. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, October 2005.

Lawler KA, Younger JW, Piferi RL, Billington E, Jobe R, Edmondson K, Jones WH. A change of heart: cardiovascular correlates of forgiveness in response to interpersonal conflict. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, October 2003.

Lawler KA, Younger JW, Piferi RL, Jobe RL, Edmondson KA, Jones WH. The unique effects of forgiveness on health: an exploration of pathways. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, April 2005.

Original Article Excerpts can be found from

https://purposebeyondpain.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/10-benefits-of-forgiveness/