Holding on to anger or resentment towards someone or something that you feel wronged or betrayed you can affect, not just your mental, but also your physical health. In order to be truly healthy, light and free, you must first release what’s weighing you down.
Forgiveness one of the most powerful tools we have to shed emotional AND physical weight, free us from the past and allow us to step into joy.
The Mind-Body Connection
Research has proven there’s a very real connection between physical and mental health. Every emotion that you feel has a physical response in your body. Think about the moments when you felt sad or anxious. Maybe you experienced heart palpitations, sweaty palms or crying. Your physical and emotional health are very much tied together!
Studies show those who hold on to toxic emotions have higher levels of stress, anxiety and panic attacks. And on the physical side, staying stuck in a place of anger can negatively affect your cardiovascular and immune systems and even increase the likelihood of conditions such as heart disease and cancer.
Emotions and Weight Gain
There is also a strong correlation between holding on to emotions and holding on to physical weight. This is because choosing to stay in a place of emotional pain, sadness or anger interferes with our ability to take positive action toward our goals. Which means our emotions are keeping us stuck and literally weighing us down!
The Power of Forgiveness
One of the biggest misconceptions about forgiveness is that, in order to move forward, you have to nullify or deny your own experience. Forgiveness is not condoning the actions of the person that hurt or betrayed you, nor is it about blaming them for your pain. It’s honoring the pain that you experienced because of their actions.
3 Steps to Forgive and Release
1.The key to forgiveness is to first acknowledge your feelings or experiences and let the emotions flow freely without stuffing them down. Many of us turn to food, alcohol, busyness, or other distractions to numb uncomfortable emotions, but it’s crucial to sit with them and allow the pain, hurt, anger or betrayal to wash over you without running away from it. Whether you need to cry, scream or break something, ride the emotional wave and observe as it peaks, subsides and releases.
2.The second step in moving toward forgiveness is realizing the person that hurt you was not strong enough to give you what you needed.
So often we are quick to blame ourselves for the way other people treat us. We start to believe that we aren’t loveable enough, worthy enough, or that their actions are a result of our shortcomings.
The way people treat you is a direct reflection of themselves and their own experiences and has nothing to do with you. Part of forgiving is releasing them from blame and understanding that their own shortcomings are the reason they mistreated you. And they were not strong enough to overcome their own issues.
Forgiving someone does NOT mean what they did to you was okay. Nor does it mean that you have to subject yourself to the same treatment or repair the relationship. In fact, you can forgive someone and choose to never speak to them again. You decide what boundaries are safe and healthy for you.
3.Take back your own power to live in joy. Think about what you’re holding on to. Ask yourself, “What is weighing me down and what do I need to let go of?”
Get out a piece of paper or a journal. Go back to the time where you were hurt or betrayed, and write down everything that happened without holding back. Don’t censor yourself, don’t edit. Just let the words flow onto the paper.
Once you’ve completed that step, fold up the piece of paper, take it outside and burn it. As it’s burning, imagine the anger, sadness, resentment and betrayal floating up into the air with the smoke and simply release.
You take back your power by releasing yourself from the burden of anger and no longer allowing the past to dictate how you feel in the present.
