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Forgiveness: Letting Go of the Past for Your Mental Health

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Forgiveness and letting the past go can improve your mental health, but it is not always easy to do. Find 4 practical tips on how to forgive at HealthyPlace

Forgiveness: Letting Go of the Past for Your Mental Health

Forgiveness. We hear the word frequently, and it’s touted as something important for our inner peace. Rightly so, for forgiveness means letting go of the past and moving forward. These aren’t easy, however.

Rethinking what these concepts mean might help. Contrary to the phrase “forgive and forget,” forgiveness does not mean forgetting. The human brain turns certain things—especially emotional things—into deep-seated memories. How, then, do you forgive?

How to Forgive

Try these tips to help you forgive and let go:

  • Focus on the “letting go” part. That is about you and your choices.
  • Know that it is a choice. You are choosing to let go rather than hanging on to negative thoughts and experiences. That’s empowering.
  • Know your values. What’s important to you? Which one will move you toward the life you want, the person you want to be: hanging on to the past, or letting go and moving forward?
  • Practice mindfulness. When you notice your thoughts and emotions drifting back, redirect them. Pay attention to what you are doing right now, in this moment. Are you living now, despite what happened? If yes, focus on that. If no, do something in the moment to move a step toward what you value.

Whether you call it forgives or letting go, these are actions and mind-sets that move you forward in your life for your mental health.

Related Articles Dealing with Forgiveness and Letting Go

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: What helps you move forward when you have a hard time forgiving and letting go? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page and on the HealthyPlace Google+ page.


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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

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How Anxiety Affects My Bipolar Disorder

I have bipolar 2 and anxiety is one of the symptoms I deal with. With mood disorders, like depression and bipolar disorder, sometimes anxiety is a symptom. Other times it's a separate illness. (Watch Hannah)

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

  1. Setting Realistic Goals Benefits Your Mental Health
  2. Defining Myself Outside of My Mental Illnesses
  3. 10 Tips for the First 90 Days of Addiction Recovery

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Mental Health Quote

"Do not confuse my bad days as a sign of weakness, those are actually the days I am fighting my hardest."

Read more mental health quotes.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook, stumbleupon, or google+) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week, circle HealthyPlace on Google+, follow HealthyPlace on Twitter or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook. Also, check out HealthyPlace on Pinterest and share your mental health pins on our Share Your Mental Health Experiences board.

back to: HealthyPlace.com Mental-Health Newsletter Index

 

APA Reference
Peterson, T. (2018, February 26). Forgiveness: Letting Go of the Past for Your Mental Health, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, November 2 from https://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/mental-health-newsletter/forgiveness-letting-go-of-the-past-for-your-mental-health

Last Updated: February 28, 2018
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Medically reviewed by Harry Croft, MD

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