Forgiveness and How It Can Help With Panic and Anxiety
Posted by Improving Lives Counseling Services, Inc. | Mental Health
It’s easy to talk about forgiveness but so difficult to practice it. However, forgiveness offers many advantages. One of which is relieving your stress, pain, anger, and anxiety.
If you’re often anxious and struggling to forgive someone but you don’t know where to start, you can gain some useful insights in this article.
How forgiveness helps with anxiety and panic
Individuals who hold grudges against people who wronged them often struggle with loneliness, anxiety, and deep-seated anger. These are unpleasant feelings that not only affect your mood but also your relationships and overall well-being. Before we talk about the reasons why forgiving others will help you cope with anxiety, let’s dig deeper into what it means to forgive.
The truth about forgiveness
We often think of forgiveness as a prize that is earned by people who are unworthy. But having this perspective is often detrimental. It gives us unrealistic expectations about the people we expect to ask for forgiveness from us. In fact, it makes us more prone to disappointment and discontentment. There are times when we will be compelled to forgive people who have never said sorry. And that’s okay.
Forgiving someone who has hurt you so much but has not shown any resentment is an act of bravery and kindness. One vital thing to remember is that forgiveness is an act of kindness toward yourself. Usually, the person who benefits most from forgiveness is the one who does it. So, it’s not a prize for the other party, but a gift to yourself.
Ways that forgiveness can ease your anxiety
Anxiety is often marked by racing thoughts and difficulty sleeping, concentrating, or eating. If you find it hard to have peace on a normal day, you might find it doubly hard to ease anxiety while on your period.
Below are five ways in which you can find peace through forgiveness.
Forgiveness cuts your remaining link to the person who wronged you
Unfortunately, the people you don’t forgive are often in your thoughts. You may find it difficult to shake them off from your memory because of what they did to you, and because of how you feel about what has been done. The worst part is that they might not even be thinking of you or the incident at all. In that case, you are keeping yourself tied to people who barely care for you by continuing to hate on them.
But true forgiveness allows you to cut the last remaining link you have to the person who did you wrong. It allows you to clear your mind of them. This effect might not be immediate, but it is a necessary first step to reclaiming your peace and happiness.
Forgiveness helps you be better in your relationships
If your heart is weighed down by sadness and anger, you are likely to make mistakes in your relationships, no matter how far these relationships are from your painful past. Trying to manage the cause of your bitterness and hatred is the best way to be a better person to others.
Since forgiveness involves a lot of reflection and self-expression, you will be able to learn skills that will be beneficial to all your relationships, such as thoughtful communication and self-awareness.
Forgiveness improves your sleep and quality of life
Studies prove that forgiving someone can help you sleep better. Again, since forgiveness can rid your mind of negative thoughts, it is natural that you will be able to sleep easily. You won’t be spending another night thinking about how angry you are, or how worried you are about your past. Forgiving means letting go of all of that baggage.
Additionally, forgiveness improves your heart health by lowering your blood pressure. That’s a good bonus to fixing your broken heart.
Forgiveness protects you from deep anger and depression
Anger, like fire, is destructive. The deeper your anger, the more likely you are to explode and harm the people around you as well as yourself. Forgiveness also prevents you from developing depression, especially if the person you are struggling to pardon is yourself.
Forgiveness opens you up to new possibilities
Last but not least, forgiveness is your key to transformation. It makes you a better person because it forces you to go through a process of deep reflection, honesty, and humility. That is why the person you become after you forgive someone is often a much better version of yourself.
Final words: Forgive and let go of anxiety
Forgiveness is challenging but worthwhile. Try to look for lessons from your hurtful experience, express your feelings, and try to empathize with people who hurt you. Last but not least, forgive yourself, too. That way, you will be able to move on from the people you’ve forgiven, be better at relationships, sleep better, avoid depression, and be open to new beginnings.
Author Bio
Myrtle is a journalism major, a social media marketer and is now exploring freelance writing. She’s fond of anything related to health and wellness, and when she’s not writing, you’ll find her doing long-distance cycling, ultramarathons, hiking, or in a local cafe enjoying a good cold brew.
