Truths Which Aid Forgiveness

Forgiveness is one of the most important things you can achieve in your life. It will help you find peace with yourself and others who cross your path. It also helps you to let go of resentment, anger, and jealousy that may prevent true happiness in your life. Because when we do not forgive others, their actions can still taint our view of the world—as if their actions never happened!

If you are having a hard time forgiving someone for something they have done or said to you, this list has some excellent ways to help make it more manageable. For example: sometimes physical distance alone can help us reach forgiveness faster. Forgiveness is not a one-time event. It must become a habit. Here are some techniques that may help you in your efforts to forgive others:

1. Do not allow the other person to get away with their actions or the damage they have caused.

2. Remember all the wonderful things about that person and let him/her go so that you can get on with your business and live a more fulfilled life!

3. Express your forgiveness in action, words, or thoughts – just don't wait for them to ask for forgiveness!

4. Let go and leave the past in the past. Don't allow it to taint your present or future.

5. Cut off contact, if necessary, because staying in touch with someone can be a form of dependence that will keep you stuck in the hurt and anger.

6. Accept that the other person is responsible for their own actions and has to live with any consequences they may have brought on themselves. You are not responsible!

7. Search yourself for any role you may have played in the situation so that you can help correct it next time around.

8. Forgive yourself – you are only human and we all make mistakes and do things we regret. The only difference between you and others is that they did not learn from their mistakes the way you have tried to.

9. Do not allow the actions of one person or group to dictate your opinion of an entire race, gender, religion, culture or class of people. This is a form of prejudice that can cause a lot of hurt and confusion in your life!

10. Smile! And laugh! Forgiveness takes time to accomplish, so be patient with yourself and others who will go through it at different rates than you will.

11. Set aside a separate space in your home to build an altar or shrine where you can place photos and mementos of the person you are trying to forgive. This will help preserve the memory of that person so that you don't forget him or her completely.

12. Forgiveness is not forgetting, but rather putting something in its proper place so that it does not become a heavy burden for yourself and others who might be experiencing similar pain from other situations.

13. Do not let anyone tell you that it is wrong or inappropriate to forgive someone else! That is your choice and no one else's business!

14. If you need to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply, but cannot get past it, seek the help of a therapist who specializes in working with victims of emotional abuse.

15. Try to not let your emotions run away with you and try to stay calm when expressing your feelings instead of getting angry and yelling.

16. I have found that keeping a diary of my thoughts and feelings about forgiving gives me a better perspective on things than if I waited until I am ready for forgiveness before writing about it.

17. Learn to laugh again! It is one of the best ways to help forget our pain and move on with life.

18. Be grateful for the good times you have had and forgive those who have hurt you.

19. Tell your abuser what you need to get them back on track, but do it in such a way that they will not feel threatened or defensive when hearing it.

20. Never let anyone make you feel less than human, nor ever feel bad about yourself for not being perfect! This is a form of emotional abuse and one that you cannot recover from if this is how your abuser has treated you in the past. Studies show that abusing others can cause long-term damage to their own children and themselves – so please don't allow this to happen to or within your family!

21. Forgiving someone who has caused you harm will probably hurt worse than the original pain, but it is up to you to decide if you have the strength to do what needs to be done. Sometimes a change in perspective is all that is needed!

22. Remember that forgiving someone doesn't necessarily mean that they are forgiven! It means that YOU have made a conscious decision not to let them continue to hurt you and others by their actions or words.

23. There are many different levels of forgiveness, so don't set yourself up for failure by expecting more than you can handle as one part of your journey toward healing and moving on with your life!

24. Although forgiving someone does not mean that you trust them, it does open up the possibility for trust. It is also necessary to making amends and moving on with your life.

25. Forgiving someone doesn't mean you are excusing or condoning their actions, but instead is a way to let go of the baggage that comes with holding onto bitterness and anger – both of which can be detrimental to your health!

26. Remember that forgiveness is a personal journey toward healing – so don't allow others around you to make you feel guilty for your feelings or reasons for not being able to forgive someone right away! It is all about what YOU need in order to move on with YOUR life!

27. If you find it difficult to forgive others, ask yourself if you are allowing yourself to be a victim of their actions or words.

28. Remember that forgiveness is a choice – so choose to forgive!

29. Forgive yourself for the hurtful things you may have said or done in the past that made people feel bad about themselves or keep them from advancing in their careers or relationships.

30. Forgiveness can come later if you really need to let go of your anger and bitterness for now, because allowing these feelings to build up does not help in any way! This is just unreasonable and will only cause more harm than good!

31. Although forgiveness is a personal matter so that you can heal and move on with your life, it does not mean that you must suffer in silence. Seek help from those who can assist you with setting things in their proper place!

32. In order to forgive someone else, you have to forgive yourself first – no matter what others have done to you!

33. If you need help preparing yourself for forgiveness, try writing out a detailed description of what happened, then the reasons why the other person hurt or betrayed you.

Conclusion

Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, but is instead a way to let go of bitterness and anger so that you can move on with your life. It takes time and requires a strong resolve, but it is worth it in the end if you want to be truly happy – not just temporarily satisfied from the outside world!

Chapter 4 - Assertiveness (Staying Safe From Verbal Abuse)

Now that you have some background on what emotional abuse is, I will teach you how to communicate assertively when someone tries to put you down or acts like they are better than you! This is important because verbal abuse can take many forms – especially in relationships.