Episode #153: Holding Onto Hurts

Holding onto emotional wounds and not allowing yourself to forgive can have damaging effects on your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. The act of forgiveness is beneficial in multiple ways; it helps to reduce stress and resentment, increases positive emotion and well-being, enhances psychological health, improves relationships with others and within oneself, encourages more constructive behaviors towards others, and helps to heal the wound of the past. When you choose not to forgive or let go of the pain of the past it can prevent personal growth. Holding onto anger, fear or sadness from past events will often leave you feeling stuck in a cycle of negativity that can be difficult to break free from. By refusing to forgive you are further perpetuating negative emotions associated with the event which can lead to increased levels of anxiety, depression, irritability and loneliness. Furthermore, choosing not to forgive can cause an increase in physical symptoms such as headaches and other forms of chronic pain due its ability to raise cortisol levels. In addition to this it can also lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance abuse or engaging in risky behaviors which can quickly spiral into even bigger problems. Additionally by not forgiving it prevents us from being able to fully move forward with our lives as we remain focused on a situation that has already passed. Not only does refusal to forgive impact yourself but it also has a negative effect on those around you; when we do not let go of our anger and bitterness it damages our relationships by increasing tension between ourselves and those we interact with daily. We may become untrusting or uncooperative which puts strain on current friendships or impedes us from forming new ones. Choosing not to forgive also dictates how we react in certain situations; if someone wrongs us then we may end up retaliating out of spite instead of responding in a respectful manner which could have been achieved through forgiving them for their mistake. In conclusion forgiveness is one of the most powerful tools we possess; allowing ourselves freedom from carrying around the weight of pain from past events releases us from holding onto anger or hurt towards another person that may no longer even exist in our life today. Forgiveness does not mean condoning what happened nor does it provide permission for someone else’s bad behavior but rather provides us relief from our own suffering so that we are able to move forward with our lives positively without being hindered by old grudges or resentments. May this conversation be beneficial to your life journey. Many blessings! Connect with us on Facebook ~Group: Amie & Bev CommunityPage: Amie Wade - Emotional Resiliency Coach