While forgiving and moving on is not easy, forgiveness brings mental peace and stability to relationships. Here’s how you can truly forgive and move on in life.

What Does True Forgiveness Look Like and How to Move On?

Forgiving people and moving on gives you a better chance at happiness and healthier relationships.

What Does True Forgiveness Look Like And How To Move On?

Overview

The jury is still out on whether it is tougher to say the words &ldquo;I am sorry&rdquo; or &ldquo;I forgive you.&rdquo;

Despite centuries of evolution, human beings haven&rsquo;t yet reached the kind of perfection we tend to expect from each other. Human relationships are delicate and ripe for mistakes and mishaps.&nbsp; 
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We have all been in a place where we have inadvertently hurt the other person, we have also been decidedly cruel and rude, whether to exact revenge or just because we were having a bad day. On the other hand, we have also had to suffer at the hands of our fellow human beings. When this happens, our immediate reaction is to wonder how someone can be so evil. How can they be so clumsy with our hearts when they have made huge proclamations of love and know how we also feel about them? We worry how much pain we are going to have to suffer through now that we have sustained such an impactful emotional injury.&nbsp;

If we are very lucky, the offending party will recognise and acknowledge the impact of their actions. Sometimes, however, due to the foolhardy packaging some humans tend to come in, this may not happen. Either way, forgiveness is paramount for the long-term sanctity of any relationship, yes even your relationship with yourself.&nbsp; 
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Forgiveness helps you

It&rsquo;s the act of letting go of the hurt and pain we might be holding onto regarding a certain situation or person. If we hold onto the initial sentiments that arise in us after an event, chances are that we will be filled with feelings of resentment that tend to affect our connections and lead to less than savoury outcomes. Even if you don&rsquo;t plan to keep the person in your life, you can still benefit from practicing forgiveness. 
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Forgiveness helps you to:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Better and healthier relationships.</li>
	<li>Mental peace and stability.</li>
	<li>Better self-esteem.</li>
	<li>Improved mood.</li>
	<li><a href="https://merisehat.pk/disease/anxiety">Reduced anxiety</a> and stress.</li>
	<li>Stepping into new relationships without any previous baggage.</li>
	<li>Eradicate those feelings of helplessness and take charge of your own life. It takes you out of a victim mindset and returns your strength to you.</li>
</ul>

These are just some of the ways forgiveness helps you be an overall better human being and frees up the mental space for more worthwhile tasks than holding onto grudges and resentment.&nbsp; 
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Steps To Forgiveness

<ul>
	<li>We must first begin by acknowledging that we are all humans, hence capable of major blunders and it could easily have been you in the other person&rsquo;s shoes. We must all accept that fundamentally decent people can at times behave less than ideally.</li>
	<li>Recognise that you aren&rsquo;t just doing it for the relationship or the other person but also yourself.</li>
	<li>If the other person has taken the painstaking step of apologising to you. Recognise their ability to do so &mdash; remember how tough it has felt to do the same when you were in their shoes.</li>
	<li>Have a one-on-one discussion with the person in order to make them realise exactly what has injured your sentiments.</li>
	<li>Ask the person why they behaved a certain way and whether they weren&rsquo;t just reacting to some perceived slight on your part.</li>
	<li>If the person hasn&rsquo;t apologised and you seek closure, you might want to look into therapy or support groups that can help you navigate the process smoothly.</li>
	<li>Understand that you don&rsquo;t necessarily have to step back into the dynamic that has caused you so much pain. Forgiveness doesn&rsquo;t need to be accompanied by completely forgetting the offence.</li>
	<li>Draw better boundaries and effectively communicate them with the people in your life. Ensure there is comprehension and understanding behind why this is necessary for you and for the relationship itself.</li>
	<li>Every time your natural instinct to abuse the offending party kicks in, try to calmly and consciously redirect that energy into doing something productive instead. When you stop recounting the nitty-gritties of your hurt/pain, you can truly make space to heal.</li>
	<li>Have an emotional cleansing ritual (just like you have one for your skin!) where you can sit and check in with yourself and ensure you&rsquo;re not holding onto hurtful feelings.</li>
	<li>Recognise that you might just be unable to forgive your own self. Many of us punish ourselves for ending up in painful situations in the first place. We are never as angry at others as we are at ourselves, we think we should have known better and we know that a better person would have never made the same mistakes. It&rsquo;s important to realise that self-forgiveness can help you transmute this pain and indignation you have towards yourself. This eventually leads you to applying the lessons learned in your future attempts at living and manoeuvre through this world with a clear conscience.</li>
	<li>Understand that healing involves a healthy amount of grieving and give yourself time to pass through the stages of grief. 
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</ul>

Bottom Line

It&rsquo;s important to recognise the importance of forgiveness and why holding onto pain hurts no one but yourself. We have all heard the famous line that being angry is like drinking poison and expecting the other to get hurt. This may sound like a clich&eacute; but it is true in most cases. Know that leading with patience, humility, courage and tenderness will always take you a long way and moving on means you can give yourself the gift of other, greater and better adventures. At the same time, never let anyone rush your process and take as much time as you need to get over things.

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