Many of us have experienced hard feelings toward others when we fall out with people in our lives. This could happen when someone you worked for fires you, a spouse has cheated on you, or someone close to you is talking behind your back. It is human nature to feel pain from these experiences, but the pain is temporary and just a fraction of what damage it causes to us when we hold resentment against those that wronged us.
Resentment is like cancer. It can grow and negatively affect the balance of the mind and body. This in turn can cause major health issues if not addressed in time. Here are six reasons to release resentment and move forward.
- Leads to Forgiveness
Practicing and implementing forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself. People are going to hurt or disappoint you sometimes in your life either unintentionally or intentionally. This does mean you should excuse this type of behavior from someone but recognize it has not about you but them. What they are doing is a reflection of how they feel about themselves. It is worth making a habit of finding space in your heart to forgive, let go of any resentment you have, and get on with your life.
- Leads to Healthier You
Holding on to resentment greatly impacts on your mental and physical well-being in a negative way. Studies show that anger which is a byproduct of resentment can lead to risky health behaviors, potentially leading to conditions like Type II Diabetes, heart disease, depression, and cancer. If anything, release your resentment for the sake of your physical well-being.
- Leads You Away from Negativity
Resentment just does not do the mind and body good. The person you are bitter toward is usually less affected than you are since you have to live with your negative emotions every moment of every day and they don’t. When you truly release resentment from very cell in your body, you will free your mind and body from negativity.
- Leads to Better Sleep
According to some research, people who let go of anger toward others were actually able to get better REM sleep than others that did not. Ask yourself this question. When you are holding onto resentment toward someone, you may feel angry and anxious. It is very hard to get restful sleep when these negative emotions are consuming your mind.
- Leads to Better Relationships
You will greatly improve communication and the quality of your relationship when you forgive them. While you may never be as close as you once were, forgiving someone allows you to discover new possibilities, whether the person is a friend, a family member or a former lover. You may discover something new about this person and bring out the best in them by choosing to let the past go.
- Leads to Empowering Others
Forgiveness is a life skill. When you decide to truly forgive someone, you’re setting a positive example for others to follow. Empowering someone comes from being the example of forgiveness. Our children learn from what they see in their parents. Always be the example for them. Show them how to be compassionate and how to show forgiveness to others. This will help them grow into grateful and caring individuals.
To your health & prosperity,
Christopher Salem
