Abigail Produced by

Graduated

BSc (Hons) Psychology

Global Forgiveness Day in 2020 takes place on Tuesday the 7 of July.  This blog is to help you think of ways you can celebrate it and how global forgiveness day may just benefit you this year too!

On this day, we use our ability to forgive and forget to help both our own lives and health and others. Be honest with yourself and your actions and think, if you have hurt someone in any way, mistake or not, take the time to say sorry and ask for forgiveness without hesitation. Once you learn how to forgive, and release that weight that can tie you down, you can learn to also forgive yourself and live a lighter life free of the negativity holding on to anger, grudges and pain can bring.

Here are some helpful tips on how you can celebrate world forgiveness day

1. Learn that holding a grudge does not harm others but harms yourself instead.

“Resentment or grudges do no harm to the person against whom you hold these feelings but every day and every night of your life, they are eating at you” – Norman Vincent Peale.

Holding onto resentment in hopes that it is a type of ‘punishment’ to the other, or a way to ‘show you remember the bad things they’ve done’ or for any reason at all, does more harm to you. Maybe take this time to stop, think, and let go to help yourself.

 

2. Choose to stop retelling the same story.

“Let today be the day you stop being haunted by the ghost of yesterday.” ~ Steve Maribolli

From this, that story you tell about how this person may have done this or that to hurt, effect, annoy, or anything towards you. Take this day to really think about that event one last time, and let it go, by actively stopping yourself from telling it. Not only does it tell those about a  negative event, but it reminds you of that experience every time of something you have yet to get over.

 

3. Allow yourself to feel compassion for those who have hurt you.

“Compassion is the ultimate expression of your highest self”- Russell Simmons

In order to truly forgive, you must practice in feeling compassion for the person who hurt you. Why do you think they did that? What must they be feeling? What must they be feeling in order to do that?

 

4. Choose to understand most offenses are small and unimportant. Allowing yourself to not even start holding onto small incidents or comments means that not only are you reducing hurt, arguments, and pain towards yourself, but reducing the amount you have to forgive later.

“Forgiveness is a reflection of loving yourself enough to move on” – Dr. Steve Maraboli

 

5. Be an example. Take the day to think about how you would like others to forgive you for the mistakes you make and how the world can be with a little more kindness. find those thoughts and use them to become the example needed for others to do the same.

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude”- Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Right now with everything that’s happened in the world, it is time to use this time to self-care, benefit your health, mind, and happiness and work on your relationships with everyone. Self-care, love, and most importantly, forgiveness is needed amongst ourselves now more than ever so that we can build a better future for ourselves and for each other.

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