As humans, we encounter difficulties that create obstacles. Though we may overcome these obstacles, the experience remains and ultimately affects our behaviors further. Yet, it is not in simply disregarding these obstacles that we find freedom. For me, I struggled with the agony of unrequited feelings for months until I confronted the situation and received an apology. Hearing this directly from the source of my pain, I found closure through forgiveness. Through those months of suffering, I learned that holding on to resentment impeded my happiness, because it kept me in the past rather than moving forward. In order for anyone to truly overcome trauma, they must forgive themselves and others for what occurred. Forgiveness frees us to move
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In Christine Carter’s (2008) article “Forgive and… Feel Happier,” she says that “forgiving people tend to be happier, healthier, and more empathetic.” Those with “the inability to forgive… tend to be hateful, angry, and hostile.” Learning how to forgive those who hurt and betray us can help us experience joy. She emphasizes that harboring negative emotions towards those who wrong us will only hurt ourselves in the process instead of who we want it directed …show more content…
In Lenka Tenklova and Alena Slezackova’s (2016) study, the relationship between forgiveness and mental health was examined. In addition, they looked at the differences between self-forgiveness and interpersonal forgiveness. In their conclusion, they found that self-forgiveness had a significantly more positive correlation to mental health than interpersonal forgiveness. The research showed that forgiving one’s own actions lead to better mental health in comparison to forgiveness for the sake of reconciled relationships. Happiness is a byproduct of stable mental health. Thus, personal forgiveness seems to be a positive way to experience happiness. If you forgive yourself for your own troubles and mistakes that were not influenced by another, you can renounce further suffering and move
In Christine Carter’s (2008) article “Forgive and… Feel Happier,” she says that “forgiving people tend to be happier, healthier, and more empathetic.” Those with “the inability to forgive… tend to be hateful, angry, and hostile.” Learning how to forgive those who hurt and betray us can help us experience joy. She emphasizes that harboring negative emotions towards those who wrong us will only hurt ourselves in the process instead of who we want it directed …show more content…
In Lenka Tenklova and Alena Slezackova’s (2016) study, the relationship between forgiveness and mental health was examined. In addition, they looked at the differences between self-forgiveness and interpersonal forgiveness. In their conclusion, they found that self-forgiveness had a significantly more positive correlation to mental health than interpersonal forgiveness. The research showed that forgiving one’s own actions lead to better mental health in comparison to forgiveness for the sake of reconciled relationships. Happiness is a byproduct of stable mental health. Thus, personal forgiveness seems to be a positive way to experience happiness. If you forgive yourself for your own troubles and mistakes that were not influenced by another, you can renounce further suffering and move