Everyone must have made mistakes. However, there are some of us who tend to find it difficult to forgive ourselves. In fact, forgiving or making peace with yourself is very important to get peace. So, how do you forgive yourself?
Forgiving yourself doesn't mean you ignore all the mistakes you've made. This is also very far in principle from being weak. Forgiving yourself actually shows a form of strength that is very valuable to have.
This attitude is a form of openness to accept everything that has happened and continue to live without the shadow of past mistakes. Besides that, forgiving yourself is also a way to develop your potential, improve your quality of life, and maintain your physical and mental health.
Simple Ways to Forgive Yourself
Forgiving yourself is not as easy as turning the palm of the hand. It takes extra time, process, and patience to come to terms with yourself. Here are ways you can forgive yourself:
1. Admit mistakes and learn from them
Admit every mistake that has been made. Understand that mistakes, even those caused by your negligence, are not a sign that you have failed. This is the same as if you hurt someone else's feelings. Intentionally or not, this doesn't necessarily make you a bad person.
After admitting it, make every mistake a lesson for you so it doesn't happen again. This way will make you remember that mistakes are normal, so you can forgive yourself and can do better things in the future.
2. Focus on improving yourself
Reflecting on every mistake made can lower your self-esteem and make you blame yourself. Instead of acting like this, realize that what has happened you can't fix. However, you can always improve yourself going forward.
Understand enough what you need to develop at this time, so that the same mistakes do not happen again. You can also try new positive things that you have never done before. Maybe, you can open up opportunities in other fields.
3. Get rid of negative thoughts
Negative things in your mind can certainly make it difficult for you to forgive yourself. However, sometimes these thoughts seem natural to you. You may not even realize how hard you think you are.
Try writing down in a diary all the thoughts that come to your mind, separating positive and negative thoughts, then rereading the writing. In this way, you can realize that the thoughts that are preventing you from forgiving yourself are not true.
In addition, share stories with close friends or family and do positive self talk It can also keep you away from negative thoughts.
4. Learn to love yourself
Generally, a person will more easily forgive a mistake from a loved one. now, in order to forgive yourself, try to learn to love yourself. This attitude is also a form of self-love and acceptance of all shortcomings.
Treat yourself as you would treat others. Give yourself a gift as a form of appreciation for all the achievements you have achieved. Apart from that, do something you love and make the things you dream come true. That way, your life will be much more fun and happy.
Forgiving yourself is not easy and it takes time, especially if the problems you are facing are very complicated. However, realize that you also have the right to be happy.
If after applying the method above you still can't forgive yourself, don't hesitate to consult a psychologist. With the help of professionals, you can get the right advice and therapy to make peace with yourself.
