Forgiveness & Self-Esteem
Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself -Maya Angelou
Forgiveness is often defined as a deliberate decision to release feelings of anger, resentment, and retribution to someone who may have harmed you. While it can be very difficult to forgive someone else, it can be even more challenging to forgive yourself. However, self-forgiveness can be extremely beneficial in healing and can feel extremely freeing.
Steps one can take to achieve self-forgiveness:
♡ Accept your situation. It can be helpful to accept who you are and where you are at this moment. Accept life as it is, not how it should be. ♡
♡ Understand what happened and why you are here. What caused you to make the choice(s) you did? What were you trying to meet, given the frame of reference you had at that time? Understanding your frame of reference can make it clear that you were simply doing your best you knew how to do at that time. ♡
♡ Learn from your experience. How did your experience shape you into the person you are today? What wisdom did you learn? You might not be able to go back and change the past, but now you have the opportunity to learn and grow for the future. ♡
♡ Forgive your past self. By saying I forgive you to yourself, you can begin to heal. ♡
Now finish these statements:
♡ Today I will forgive myself for ___
♡ Now that I have forgiven myself I feel ___
♡ I deserve forgiveness because ___
Thank you so much for participating today in day twelve of our self-esteem challenge. Feel free to check out the other self-esteem posts here. We hope that our forum discussion and exercise have been a positive experience, and you are leaving feeling freer and relaxed. Have a lovely day! 
Sources: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindful-anger/202007/healing-shame-5-steps-self-forgiveness https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindful-anger/202006/healing-guilt-7-steps-self-forgiveness
@Tazzie
I have to think more about this.
Alright.
I have been through alot/enough and I believe that I do etc...
@MelanieDaniels63
Hello! Take as much time as you need, I hope you are able to find the peace that you deserve. I'm glad that you are feeling alright, and I agree, you absolutely do deserve forgiveness, and it's wonderful to hear that you believe that too. Thank you for sharing, have a lovely day ♡
@hopedreamlove Thanks have a great day/night.
Today I will forgive myself for ___my weaknesses
Now that I have forgiven myself I feel ___calmer n lighter
I deserve forgiveness because ___am a pure soul
@blissart
Hi Bliss! It can be super hard to embrace our weaknesses and flaws. It is wonderful to hear that you feel calmer and lighter after forgiving yourself. I hope that anytime you might feel upset with yourself or find it hard to forgive yourself, you remember that you are a pure soul. Thank you so much for sharing! Have an amazing day! ♡
@hopedreamlove
♡ Today I will forgive myself for accepting less of what I deserved.
♡ Now that I have forgiven myself I feel free.
♡ I deserve forgiveness because I can make mistakes, and I deserve better.
@relaxSea
Hello hello hello! I'm so glad to hear that you feel free after forgiving yourself. It is amazing to hear that you recognize that it's okay to make mistakes, and that you do deserve better. I hope you can continue to forgive yourself, and get everything you deserve, and more. Thank you for participating! Have a lovely day ♡
♡ Today I will forgive myself for spending too much money :'(.
♡ Now that I have forgiven myself I feel a bit happier about spending money--it's not like I do it a lot anyways, haha.
♡ I deserve forgiveness because I don't spend money often to begin with.
@smilingsnapples
Hi Snapples! I can definitely relate to feeling bad about spending money. It is wonderful that you were able to forgive yourself, and are now feeling happier! Thank you so much for participating, and I'm so happy that this has left you feeling happier! Have a lovely day ♡
♡ Today I will forgive myself for messing up so much 3 years ago.
♡ Now that I have forgiven myself I feel strangely lighter
♡ I deserve forgiveness because it was hardly my fault and i just did my best.
@Oofmausernamewastaken yes, you did do your best.
@Oofmausernamewastaken
Hello! Three years is such a long time to be holding on to the feelings of making a mistake, I can imagine that it might of been really painful and difficult holding on to it for so long. I'm super glad to hear that you feel lighter after forgiving yourself! Doing your best is all anyone can ask for. Thank you so much for sharing! Have a lovely day! ♡
♡ Today I will forgive myself for not being productive
♡ Now that I have forgiven myself I feel like a weight is lifted off of my shoulders
♡ I deserve forgiveness because I'm human and my worth isn't on how productive I am
@willowispfire no, it's definitely not. and don't let anybody convince you otherwise. a lot of people won't understand that you're doing the best that you can.
@willowispfire
I can relate to the feelings of guilt and feeling bad about not being productive. It is amazing to hear that you forgave yourself, and it feels like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders, sounds like a great relief. Yesss, I am so glad you recognize that, your worth is definitely not how productive you are. Flaws, imperfections, and mistakes never take away from your worth. ♡ Thank you so much for sharing! Have a fabulous day!
@hopedreamlove
Thank you so much for letting us spilling out our guilt, and let us evolve from it!
♡ Today I will forgive myself for ___ jumping into conclusion abruptly without reaching others first (by that, i missed the chance to enroll in short term class of college which was a rare in my case)
♡ Now that I have forgiven myself I feel ___ still a bit agitated, but relieved. By thinking i could do other else in substitute of the choice i did.
♡ I deserve forgiveness because ___ I am me, a human with emotional tank. I deserve forgiveness for my own tranquil
@redemptionblue17
Hihi! Of course, I am so glad that this post allowed you to evolve. It can be quite easy to jump to conclusions quickly, and then feel annoyed or frustrated about it. I'm so glad that you are feeling relieved, and I hope that the rest of that agitation lifts soon. I really like what you said about having an emotional tank, that can be easy to forget at times. Thank you so much for sharing! Have a lovely day ♡
♡ Today I will forgive myself for not being perfect
♡ Now that I have forgiven myself I feel a lot better
♡ I deserve forgiveness because everyone is unique and may not be perfect according to society or others standards. But I are perfect just I am. I don't need to think of how others view me. I am doing good. I don't need others approval to be happy.
@Magicallykermit58
Hi! I can relate to the pressure of having to be perfect, and the emotions that come when you can't be perfect. It is wonderful to hear that you have forgiven yourself, and are feeling a lot better. Yes yes yes! I love your answer to the last question, it highlights so many truths! Thank you for sharing, have a lovely day! ♡
@hopedreamlove
♡ Today I will forgive myself for beating myself up when I do not finish a task as aspected.
♡ Now that I have forgiven myself I feel a lot better.
♡ I deserve forgiveness because I can be my own worst critic and I need to love myself regardless of my flaws.
@shiningDay80
Hey hey! I know I can relate to beating ourselves up when we don't complete something we wanted to. I am so glad to hear that you are feeling better after forgiving yourself. It can be super difficult to accept and live our flaws, it is awesome that you are working on it. Thank you for joining us, have a lovely day! ♡
@hopedreamlove
Today I will forgive myself for the mistakes I sometimes make as a parent
Now that I have forgiven myself I feel lighter and willing to grow
I deserve forgiveness because I have the best intentions in the world as a parent, but despite this I am human and it is ok to make mistakes
@sunflower2480
Hello! I'm not a parent so I won't say I fully understand how you feel, however I can relate to making mistakes in life, I think everyone can. I am glad to hear that you have forgiven yourself, and now feel lighter and willing to grow! I really admire you accepting and forgiving your mistakes, and being determined to grow. You sound like an amazing parent, and an amazing human being. Thank you so much for sharing, have a lovely day! ♡
@hopedreamlove thank you for these kind words