Letting Go of Resentment

Resentment can be described as old anger or ill will towards a person who we think as having wronged us. Forgiveness can serve as the remedy to resentment and help in healing from past hurt. Forgiving other people for any offenses they may have committed towards ourselves can be difficult especially since it may feel like we are ‘letting them off the hook’, making excuses for their behavior or forgetting the wrongdoing. But it’s important to be aware that it is possible to forgive someone without changing our belief that their actions were unacceptable. However, forgiving isn't always simple, especially when it involves something important to you or it caused a significant injury.

Here are some ways to start the practice of forgiveness:

1. Develop a deeper sense of how the injustice or injury has impacted your life and what purpose holding on to the resentment serves instead of forgiving.

2. Increase understanding of the concept of forgiveness as a self-serving act instead of something that is for the benefit of the other person.

3. Reflect on the ways in which you might feel free or how your life might look different as a result of forgiveness.

4. Change perspective and reframe the incident by narrating it as a neutral observer to allow space for a new way of looking at it.

5. Find meaning in the experience and recognize ways in which it led to growth which can help you re-write your story.

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