“There is no peace without forgiveness,” says Marianne Williamson, author and teacher of A Course in Miracles. When we are mistreated, we are the one who will benefit most from forgiveness—not the other person. Forgiving others releases us from anger and hurt and allows us to receive the healing we need.For

Forgiveness is a journey and rarely a one-time practice. There may be a need to keep forgiving because there are many layers to forgiveness. There is a meditative exercise where the person we want to forgive is set in front of us (in our imagination). The exercise is helpful because even if the person has passed, there may still be a need to forgive that person in our heart.

Forgiveness is not always easy. It may feel painful to forgive a person or a situation in which it feels we have been harmed. Use an affirmation to make peace with it and release it so it no longer affects peace of mind. Make a choice to move upward; that person or event is no longer necessary to keep you down. 

Consider this affirmation to repeat: “I now release you (or this situation) from my life, and I look forward to all the good that I will attract by doing so.” Notice the sense of peace that surrounds you as a result. 

There may also be a need to forgive self or to forgive God for the injustice. The act of self-forgiveness begins when one truly embraces love for self. It is natural that some of our actions are disappointing. Accepting our humanness allows the path of inner development. We must forgive ourselves of the things we thought we did wrong. Being honest about feelings helps to get them off the chest. Learn to express emotions fully by journaling and speaking out. This reduces stress and has proven to be effective in boosting the immune system

Feel secure and confident and expect to be respected for opinions and decisions, but also empathize and understand the reason for the beliefs of others. Listening to their suggestions, one can still stand firm in one’s own beliefs. Love self first with healthy lifestyle habits.

When we practice self-forgiveness, we learn and can choose not to repeat the lesson in the future. “There are no mistakes in life; there are simply learning opportunities for our highest good.” (Excerpted from Breast Health is in Your Hands.)