Forgiving yourself
Another familiar topic, yet a very essential one. After an introspective talk with ourselves, we gain much insight about ourselves. Some of these insights highlight darker sides of us, which makes us feel guilty and ashamed. The psychological definition of self-forgiveness was given by Enright and The Human Development Study Group in 1996. They describe it as “a willingness to abandon self-resentment in the face of one’s acknowledged objective wrong, while fostering compassion, generosity, and love toward oneself” (Enright & The Human Study Group, 1996). There are three components to this definition. Let us explore them to understand it better. a) Self-forgiveness encompasses release of negativity directed towards self: Self-talk fills us with self-resentment (holding oneself guilty of what had occurred, being filled with bitterness, and trying to find ways to punish oneself). A newer understanding of this self-resentment says that it has two par...