"I forgive you."

These words are sometimes the hardest for people to say. As hard as it may seem, forgiveness is crucial. People are bound to hurt you in life, that is a given. You are going to experience pain and distraught no matter what you do in hopes to avoid it. I, myself, know how hard it is to feel like you can move past something and "get over it." On the other hand, I also know what it feels like to allow yourself to be vulnerable and forgive others too easily and too often. I now have a better understanding that forgiving others (under the right circumstances) can actually bring you more peace than you could imagine.

Forgiving others is difficult. It is as simple as that. You may hold grudges and turn to a mechanism of distancing yourself from those who have hurt you. You may be bitter and everything that involves that person and event(s) can leave a bad taste in your mouth.You might already have a bitter attitude towards forgiving others because it has not been beneficial in the past. You might have ended up hurt after forgiving others due to you feeling as though you are too forgiving. You may believe that it is in your best interest to just keep a negative mindset towards that person and just avoid the entire situation and topic at all costs. You are wrong.

Forgiving others is beneficial to your health and wellness. Holding grudges and keeping negative feelings to yourself can be stressors. If you allow yourself to forgive others, you can eliminate certain stress out of your life and focus more on positive sides. When forgiving others you feel a sense of relief and as if a weight has been lifted from you. That sense of relief may not be immediately after the forgiving, but it will happen.

Choosing to forgive those who have hurt you can help with self-confidence when it comes to the idea of responsibility and maturity. You always hear people say "be the bigger person" and a lot of the time people struggle with that. By letting yourself to forgive the ones who have inflicted pain on you is so much more rewarding than holding a grudge that can cause more damage. You are putting something that caused you pain behind you and giving yourself the opportunity to grow. This may also provide you with the feeling of empowerment.

Now I want to turn away from the idea of forgiving others and talk about the most important kind of forgiving, which is forgiving yourself. Forgiving yourself is a must. You might regret things you have done and you might hold grudges on yourself, but that is toxic. This will only cause you more pain and heartache. You must understand that you are human. You make mistakes. You will mess up. You are not perfect and programmed to make all of the right decisions. Forgiving yourself is a guaranteed way to help yourself grow and learn from things and end up content. Forgiving yourself is also going to help with your own inner peace and self-esteem.