Holding a grudge against someone or being too hard on yourself reduces happiness – and it’s bad for your health!
Forgive yourself and forgive other people. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean condoning their behaviour, it’s making a conscious decision to let go of negative feelings. You’ll feel better and live longer! Chronic anger puts you into a fight-or-flight mode, causing changes in heart rate, blood pressure and immune response, according to psychiatrist Dr Karen Swartz. These changes increase the risk of developing conditions such as depression, heart disease and diabetes. Forgiveness, on the other hand, calms stress levels, leading to improved health.
However, the benefits depend on the nature of your forgiveness. Research by Dr Neal Krause of Michigan University suggests the outcome of forgiveness depends on how that forgiveness is given. People can either forgive unconditionally or feel the need for acts of contrition (to make amends). It is the people who forgive unconditionally that benefit from a greater sense of well-being.
