‘To err is human, to forgive is divine!’ No other phrase can be truer than this. A human being is born with both negative as well as positive sides. Neither is he a complete saint, nor is he completely evil. All of us have hurt people, deliberately or accidentally, at one time or the other and later, felt guilty about it too. Realizing that you were wrong in hurting somebody else is very important, since ignorance will only lead to repetition of the mistakes.
Now, the question is ‘should you keep feeling guilty for your mistakes throughout your life’. The answer is no. You should only learn from your mistakes, so as not to repeat them again, and at the same time, try to ease the pain you have caused. We know forgiving yourself is not so easy and it will take time and conscious effort on your part to get out of guilt. Make use of the tips given below and try to make yourself free of pain and remorse.
How to Forgive Yourself
- The first step towards forgiving yourself is to realize that you are a human being and not God. Making mistakes is a part of growing up. Infact, we learn most of the lessons in our life by making mistakes and then correcting them.
- Seeking forgiveness from the person, whom you have hurt in the process, will help you in forgiving yourself too. Saying sorry eases the burden of guilt and makes you feel much lighter from inside.
- If possible, try correcting your mistake. Undoing the wrong that you have done will make you feel much better about yourself. Try to bring a smile on the face of the person you have ended up hurting. It will make you simile again too.
- Accept yourself for what you are. At times, we fail to live up to other people’s expectations (like our parents) and end up feeling guilty about it. Nobody in this world is perfect and this applies to you too.
- Remember that even God forgives those people who realize their mistake and try to undo it or prevent it from happening again. When God has forgiven you, you can easily forgive yourself too.
- Last, but not the least, love yourself. As you fall in love with yourself, you find it easier to get rid of the pain and guilt that you had surrounded yourself in.
