The Importance of Forgiveness

This is a very short blog about forgiveness. Enough cannot be said about the mental health benefits about forgiveness. I do not want to preach this message, but I do want to open it up for discussion.

Overview

To most people, forgiveness means letting go and moving on. However, psychologists believe that there is more to it than that.

True forgiveness requires one step further by offering compassion, empathy, and understanding toward the person who harmed you.

In this article, I will briefly discuss the importance of forgiveness for your mental health.

The importance of forgiveness for mental health

According to research, forgiveness improves the outcome of several mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety.

It also lowers the morbidity and mortality of certain physical ailments. In fact, there is an entire book that covers the effects of forgiveness on health called Forgiveness and Health. The authors of the book suggest that the anxiolytic (i.e., stress-relieving) properties of forgiveness are the primary drivers of mental health well-being.

Unfortunately, chronic stress seems to be the main culprit of several mental and physical maladies that wreak havoc on your well-being.

For these reasons, you should consider adopting the spirit of forgiveness to allow yourself to heal and rise above what is messing up your life.

The Message

Forgiving the person who hurt you is essential to optimize your mental wellbeing and move on with your life.

I hope that this managed to highlight the necessary steps of forgiveness, as well as its importance in the field of mental health. Also, be sure to check out the book Forgiveness and Health in your spare time. There are used copies which are just fine. I'll be sure to release a list of mental health books that I think are really helpful in the near future.

If you still have any questions or concerns about this topic, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comment section below.