The spirit can feel restless for many reasons. More often than not, looking inward can reveal a lot about what you are going through and how external factors are shaping your internal world. Unfortunately, many people struggle when faced with their own thoughts and emotions. One of the biggest hurdles is learning to forgive yourself. If you never reconcile conflicting feelings within, it is impossible to move on and heal. Though everyone’s journey will look different, these tips can help you find a way to forgive yourself.
Fixation Is Fatal
Everyone goes through moments when actions or words are regretted. You may find yourself tossing and turning in bed while obsessing over a foolish remark you made to a friend or worry that you didn’t do enough when a family member came to visit. When you fixate on the negative side of an experience, such as what you did or didn’t do, it can weigh on your soul. You cannot change the past; you can only adjust your tactics for the future. Forgiving yourself begins with recognizing how you are holding yourself prisoner to moments in the past.
Recognize What Forgiveness Means
It is easy to look at forgiveness as something that occurs between two or more individuals. If you hurt someone’s feelings, apologizing is a way of smoothing over any awkwardness that was caused. Forgiving yourself can be odd because you may not be aware that you are holding onto certain thoughts or feelings. Before you can practice forgiveness, you need to understand what it means. What is the point of asking for forgiveness? Are you simply looking to feel better about what you have done or do you truly seek atonement?
For those who understand that forgiveness is the first step in a healing process, the act of recognizing conflict within becomes easier to manage. When you are beating yourself up over something you cannot change, you will not be able to move on and other areas of your life will suffer for it.
Acknowledge What You’ve Done
While some people worry over every little thing they have done, others move through life somewhat oblivious to how their actions impact others. You can’t forgive yourself if you don’t know what it is you did wrong. Should you realize that you have said or done something to cause strife, it is crucial that you acknowledge it. Work to get to the root of the issue and identify how you’ve played a part. Verbalizing your role in a problem can give you power over it, allowing you room to understand how to make better choices in the future.
Learn and Grow
While forgiving yourself is important, it only means anything if you allow the lessons to live within you. Saying “I’m sorry” and moving on is as useless to someone else as it is to you. Whenever presented with conflict and the opportunity to grow, it is your responsibility to take what you have learned and apply it to future scenarios. Practicing this helps you evolve beyond the same problems you have been dealing with. You’ll have new problems, of course, but you’ll also have more tools and resources for handling them.
Be Easy on Yourself
At the end of the day, you are the person you will be living with for the rest of your life. If you’ve done something wrong and hurt someone you care about, try to be easy on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. As long as you aren’t creating patterns out of your bad habits, there is always room to change for the better. It is impossible to forgive yourself if you are constantly beating yourself up over all of the things you have done wrong.
Though it is not a clear or easy journey at times, forgiving yourself is important to feel spiritually whole. Every conflict will require a different resolution, but practicing forgiveness will prove valuable in all aspects of your life.