How easily do you forgive yourself?

Most of us are very hard on ourselves. We're quick to judge ourselves, we easily criticize ourselves, and this makes it more difficult to forgive ourselves. However, forgiveness is necessary and it's an important part of a self-care practice.

I once heard that until you forgive, you will keep giving your past to the future. I couldn't agree more!

Forgiving yourself shifts who you are in the present, enabling you to create a different future.

But, how do you do it? Here's a few tips to help you get started!

Remember:

You're always doing the best you can ~

It's natural to mess up, fail, or make mistakes. Guess what? It's part of the human experience. And guess what else? It serves you! These are the things in life that serve as your most important lessons. They help you learn, grow, and become better.

You are not the mistake ~

It's important to know that you are not the mistake. The action that you took was the mistake. You are separate from it, which means you have the power to choose a different action next time.

Forgiveness comes so much easier when you can separate yourself from the action.

Ways to Forgive Yourself:

Affirm Forgiveness ~

One way to begin the forgiveness process is to look in the mirror and say to yourself, "I forgive myself for  __________." Continue to repeat this affirming statement until you believe it. How do you know when you believe it? I always know because I feel a shift inside. I can feel the weight and burden of whatever I haven't forgiven myself for being lifted from my body. When this happens, I know I've moved into forgiving myself. Note: This may require more than one session and that's OK.

Journal ~

Journaling is a powerful healing tool. Writing out your feelings of embarrassment, guilt, or shame helps to give those feelings another place to live, the pages of your journal. They're no longer stuck inside you, brewing, causing blocks that hinder you from your growth and well-being. For more benefits of journaling, click here.

Love Yourself ~

One of the reasons why we forgive others more easily than we do ourselves is because we're more critical and judging of ourselves than we are of others. When someone that we love hurts us, it's often easier to forgive them because the love we feel for them allows us to be willing to see it as one-time incident or perhaps as something that wasn't meant to hurt us.

When you love yourself unconditionally, the way you do those in your life, you'll forgive yourself more easily. If you aren't in a loving relationship with yourself, you'll naturally be more critical and less forgiving of yourself.  To learn more about loving yourself, check out these blogs:

The Importance of Self-Love

Learning to Love Myself

Forgiving Yourself helps you to grow and heal. It helps you to live healthier, happier, and feel more fulfilled.

"Forgiveness is an act of self-love. When you forgive yourself, self-acceptance begins and self-love grows."

- Miguel Ruiz

If you love this blog, I'd greatly appreciate you sharing it so that others can benefit from reading it as well. Thank you.

Want to live your life feeling happier, healthier, and more fulfilled? Click here to learn more about my Mentoring Program and book your FREE consultation today! Or check out my E-course, there's a forgiveness meditation included!