Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Mental Health Tip of the Week: Forgiveness & Health


Forgiveness & Health:
"Whether you are forgiving yourself or someone else, choosing to forgive is a courageous decision. It means that you are committed to freeing yourself from the dark emotions of the past--emotions that affect your health and well-being today.
Forgiveness means that you are willing to let go of the pain. It will not erase what happened in the past--but it does recognize that you can use the past to grow.
Forgiveness will not only help you to be healthier--it will improve your overall quality of life.
Without the power of forgiveness to help us heal, the past has the potential to destroy our present lives. Giving up the pain of the past is not easy--but it is one of the keys to a healthy life.
When we release the past, we have more power to heal, to self-actualize, to become whole--to live a full and satisfying life."
By Judith Perlman, MSW, LCSW. Read much more, including five realistic steps toward forgiveness, at
http://www.forgivenessandhealth.org/

"The practice of forgiveness has been shown to reduce anger, hurt, depression, and stress which leads to greater feelings of hope, peace, compassion and self confidence. Practicing forgiveness leads to healthy relationships as well as physical health. It also influences our attitude which opens the heart to kindness, beauty, and love."
By Frederic Luskin, Ph.D. Read much more, including nine practical steps toward forgiveness, at http://www.learningtoforgive.com/


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I wish this was easier...and a one time thing!