Forgiveness Detox

Forgiveness, it’s not something many of us offer freely. We hold onto anger, and resentment and guilt like it’s our only chance at life. But holding on to this, is like holding our breath, and if we don’t let it go we suffocate.

 

I wrote a post, about forgiveness a while ago, stressing the importance of forgiving others and forgiving myself.   At the time, I was the beginning of my healing process with certain things. Here I am over a month later, looking back at how I’ve been different, how my life has been changing since then and I’m convinced that even with our own subjective experiences, forgiveness is the key to something good.

 

My daily life has changed in a way that I couldn’t have predicted. And it seems too good to be true, but maybe it’s a life that I’ve been missing out on.

 

1. I have a mild sense of euphoria and “childlike awe” going throughout my day.   I would wake up on Monday morning and have a smile on my face, my drive to work was different; my coworkers seemed like new but familiar people. I felt as though I was in a new place and the novelty of my daily experiences lent itself to me reassessing my happiness.
2. I physically felt like I had more energy, and that I wasn’t so “gray” all the time. I felt better and started making better life choices which led to me building on those choices and I’ve physically felt better and better every day since then.
3. I have had more mental freedom. My thought process feels as though it has freed up, like I’m not trying to balance as much, mentally and it allows me to focus more clearly on the things in my life, and enjoying it.   It’s as if I dusted everything off and polished up my brain.   I’ve been able to contemplate things in my life without any reference or affect from the [situations, circumstances and people that I offered forgiveness to].
4. I deal with stress in a much healthier way. I’m approaching stressful situations in my daily life with a clearer head, and I automatically start problem solving, instead of retreating into a place where I feel like I have to hide or tend to old wounds.   I feel stronger and more adept to handle the curve balls from life.

 

It’s not that everything has gotten easier, and everything is perfect, but its more like I have this new sense of flow and rhythm that helps me move along and sort things out in a better, more productive and healthy manner.   For me, forgiveness was a reallotment of energy. I was able to stop sending energy, or feeding certain situations in my life, and allot that energy to healthier and happier behavioral patterns. And what was left wanting for that energy, has fallen off, died and turned to mulch.

 

This is my own experience with intentional forgiveness, what it means to me and hopefully what it could do for you as well.   Whatever your own experience with forgiveness I’m sure it will be amazing.