Forgiveness is Healing

It’s hard to let go of anger: anger at our parents, anger at a former friend, anger at a betrayal, anger at an ex-spouse, anger at ourselves.  It’s understandable.  Someone has done us wrong and we’re angry. We don’t have to forgive them.  We can hold onto the anger for the rest of our lives if we want to. It’s our right to do that. But forgiveness can be healing and enable you to move on.
 
Holding on to anger can consume you.  You start thinking about it all the time. Special occasions can be ruined simply because the person you are angry with is there.  Relationships can be damaged as you project what happened to you in the past onto your current situation.
 
In order to get to forgiveness, you must work through your anger. A beneficial way address anger is to express it. Although anger is a normal emotion, it must be expressed in a constructive manner.  Problems develop when the root of the anger isn’t recognized and the feelings aren’t expressed.
 
One of my clients was angry at her father for leaving her and her mother when she was a child. She carried that anger into her marriage and became angry at her spouse after their child was born.  She felt that he was acting like her father even though he wasn’t anything like her father. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Her husband left her.
 
With some guidance, my client learned how to express her anger at her father and went through all of the feelings she had about him which included sadness, anger, regret and grief.  After expressing all of her emotions, she was actually able to forgive him.  After forgiving him, she was able to move on in her life and develop a deep, intimate connection with a man.
 
It’s like a jar with the top on. If you keep the top on the jar, the anger stays inside. But if you open the jar and let the anger out, it goes away. Once you release the anger you can start the path to forgiveness. Remember forgiving the person is for you, not for the other person. You’ll feel a sense of relief when you aren’t burdened by the anger anymore. Through this process, you’ll be amazed at your ability to heal your past wounds, let go of your anger and move on in your life.
 
 
 
 
Effective methods of releasing anger:

• Talk about it with the person you’re angry with
• Write a letter
• Speak to a friend or a therapist
• Journal your thoughts, feelings and emotions about the person
• Draw your feelings
• Meditate on your feelings
• Physically release the anger by exercising, punching a punching bag, screaming, stamping your feet, ripping paper, hitting a tree with a stick, throw water balloons at a wall or some other physical activity