Each of us faces our own obstacles in life. Obstacles often bring hurt feelings of injustice or enduring bitterness. You must leave hurt, bitterness, and other negative feelings behind to give you the best chance of fulfilling your potential for good health, happiness, and success. By following a specific formula of forgiveness, you can neutralize the negative residue of the past – for your sake, not the sake of the person who offended you. 

“Forgive” does not mean “approve.” You don’t have to condone or sanction actions that hurt or offended you. However, if you want the best internal operating environment for your body, when you are hurt or upset, you must forgive the person involved, even if that person is you!

Forgiveness on your part does not lessen the seriousness or tragic nature of a situation. Forgiveness doesn’t change the situation. It changes your physiological responses to the memory of the situation.

You forgive, for your sake! When you forgive another person, your forgiveness doesn’t affect him or her any more than your hate or animosity does. You can hate someone else for years without altering his or her success and happiness. In fact, while you are making yourself sick with hate, the other person is going merrily along in life, completely undisturbed. You don’t forgive for the offender’s sake; you forgive for your sake.

Forgiveness is more than a mental exercise – it is a deep-down inner feeling. When you really forgive, you experience a sense of mental peace you may have missed for years. That, in itself, can make your life more pleasant. But there’s more.

Forgiveness is a feeling. True health-enhancing forgiveness starts with rational thought and is followed by a sincere, positive feeling. You can go through the forgiveness process whenever you can concentrate on what you’re doing. A particularly effective time for neutralizing the residue of negative feelings can be just before you go to sleep at the end of your day. This is when your body is still reverberating from the day’s events. Sleep stores information on your “hard drive.” So, if you are going to store information on your “hard drive,” the information might as well be the best it can be – positive information.

Forgiving those who have hurt you in some way – or forgiving yourself – has long-term health benefits that may save you years of pain and suffering. Practicing true forgiveness regularly relieves stress on your body and allows it to function at its best. When your body functions as effortlessly as possible, you reap the benefits of feeling better and having increased energy, a brighter outlook on life, and a better shot at life satisfaction.