part0039

One of the chief destroyers of relationships is the inability to let go of past wrongs and truly forgive when the person who has done wrong realizes their wrongdoing and asks for forgiveness. Failure to forgive sours a relationship and creates a dark cloud that it is impossible to get out from under unless you really let go of your anger and reconcile yourself with your partner. It’s important to really cleanse yourself of any residual anger over offense – harboring even the slightest shred of it will cause it to rise again when you least expect it, preventing the relationship from moving on and forward.

Anger is also bad for you psychologically and can harm your overall well-being. It triggers hormones in your system that prepare you to fight, but with no fight available the elevated heart rate, heightened alertness and release of sugar into the bloodstream sour and cause long-term issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety and stress. If you harbor it against your loved one for a long time, you will begin to associate negative feelings with them and without a doubt destroy any affection you may have for them.

Be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Be empathetic and try to put yourself in the shoes of the person who has wronged you, and you’ll gain a whole new perspective into why they may have done it. Don’t assume that every slight is done deliberately with the purpose of hurting you: recognize that people make mistakes and aren’t perfect. When you have forgiven, don’t hold onto that as a bargaining chip and hold it over their head when different situations come up.