Top 3 Reasons to Be a Forgiver Not a Hater

It may surprise you to learn that forgiveness has huge benefits for you. I sometimes hear people share that they don’t want to forgive someone because they don’t deserve forgiveness or that they did such horrible things they just can’t bring themselves to let that person off the hook. Well, here is a fact that some find hard to accept – forgiveness is never for the other person it is always for you, the forgiver.

3 benefits of truly practicing forgiveness – this doesn’t mean that you let your boundaries down if you are forgiving someone who has harmed you or still has the potential to harm you please don’t take this incorrectly. You can freely forgive someone and never even tell them. I will bring some additional tips on how to do that in my next blog, but for right now I just want to review the benefits of forgiveness for you – the one doing the forgiving.

1. Improved mental health – again this is for you.

a. This means less anxiety, less stress, less hostility, fewer symptoms of depression if that is something you battle

2. A stronger immune system – this is often a tangible result of the first benefit because stress in the body produces increasing fight and flight which leads to increased cortisol production and increased inflammation in the body. And right now during this fun pandemic who couldn’t use a stronger immune system right?

3. You look younger – fact when you are happier inside you look softer and younger outside. I loved what a speaker, Don Hutson author of the 3 New York times best sellers said at a conference I attended this weekend. “if you want to be 40 and look like you are 60 be a hater. If you want to be 60 and look like you are 40 be a forgiver.” I definitely know which category I want to be in – I am not yet 60 by the way

So the next time you are thinking about holding onto that grudge remember – it is beneficial for YOU to forgive and not hate. If you want those 4 tips on how to forgive without engaging with the person who wronged you message me and I’ll send them over even before I bring it to you in the next blog