Forgiving Yourself and Then...

Today I started my own 21 day journey to forgiveness.  Like many of you I have judgements about myself and sometimes find myself stuck in those thoughts of myself that are not serving me.  One of the reasons for these thoughts of resentment or of anger is that I am still holding on to the past treatement of me by others and guilt around what I have said or done, the mistakes I have made.  Although it may be valid to feel our feelings it is not good to hold onto any of those negative feelings about anyone including ourselves.  For this reason we must begin to forgive ourselves first and then make every effort to forgive others who we deem hurt us or are an enemy.  If you are stuck and still judging yourself for the past then this may be someting that will help you.  I also ask that you pass it on if you know others that may be in need of forgiving, which is likely everyone we know.

Here is a practical way to start the forgiveness process: 

Take about 5-10 minutes to be silent.  You can play some mediation music if you like as it may calm and center you even more.   Close your eyes.  Begin with ten deep breaths inhaling through your mouth and exhaling completely through your mouth.  Be completely still for at least five minutes, and even better if you can do ten minutes.

Write down some key words that describe how you are feeling in this moment or how you have been feeling lately: angry, sad, resentful, fearful, upset, drained, apathetic, judgmental... Once you have finished writing the key feelings just put them aside as they are just a guide for the next step.

Now it is time to complete these forgiveness statements below but before you do this here are some good examples:
I forgive myself for judging myself as stupid because I don't have a degree in anything.
I forgive myself for judging myself as unworthy of love and respect.
I forgive myself for judging myself as inadequate because I am not as healthy as I'd like to be.

Complete 12 forgiveness statements starting with these words: 
I forgive myself for judging myself as...

Now that you have completed 12 forgiveness statements complete the following sentence as it relates to each statement of forgiveness:

The truth is that... 

Example: If you wrote this forgiveness statement:
I forgive myself for judging myself as unworthy of love.
Then this would be how you complete "the truth is"...
The truth is that everyone is worthy of love and I am worthy of love too!

Now write down the 12 truth statements related to your forgiveness statements.  

The last step:
Take the time to reflect on what you are feeling right now as it relates to your forgiveness statements.  Write for a few minutes in a journal that you can continue to use for reflection and to continue your journey of forgiveness.

For the next few days I will be going back to forgiveness and sharing more ideas about how to let go of the self-judgments and behaviors that keep us stuck and wondering why we feel so down.  As I take my own journey of forgiveness I will be sharing some of the steps with all of you.  In the meantime, be blessed and assured that you are loved.


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