Spirituality, Forgiving, and Letting go: 10 Tips to Free Yourself From Resentment

One of the most beneficial things you can do for your emotional well-being is to forgive. Forgive everyone who has ever hurt you, let you down, ripped you off, and anyone you perceive as the “enemy."

Why? Because holding on to resentment toward someone depletes your energy, delays spiritual progression and growth, and makes your life more stressful. Forgiveness will not make you let your guard down, make you overly-vulnerable, or allow the troublemaker to continue hurting you if you don't want it to. In fact, it will make you stronger and possibly even protect you from further harm.

Below are 10 tips to help you forgive and let go.

1) It’s important to note that forgiveness is a process. It doesn’t usually happen ove
ight. Commit to it and eventually the negative feelings will fade.

2) If you’re having trouble forgiving someone, try the following exercise. Meditate on the situation and person and visualize them in front of you. Explain why you’re upset, then tell them you forgive them. Notice the reaction you perceive them to have. Do this until you can feel your forgiveness, and remember it’s not for them, but for you. Every time you think of the person express forgiveness to them.

3) Try to view the situation from their viewpoint and consider all the possible reasons why they acted as they did (such as experiences in their childhood, lack of awareness, emotional or mental instability, neurosis, possession, etc.). Try to feel compassion for them, though at first it may seem easier to turn water into wine.

4) Accept that whatever happened may be something you chose, on a karmic, spiritual level, to experience. Take responsibility for your part of what happened “to you.”

5) Realize that if you don’t forgive them, guess who you’ll get to come back with in a future life for another round? That should help you let go of the resentment more quickly.

6) Realize that they will get what’s coming to them eventually, even if it doesn't appear so to you. Our findings indicate that karma often doesn’t return to someone until future lifetimes. You do not have to, and should not attempt to assist this process, by the way. If you do, you will create more negative karma for yourself. Revenge with no apparent consequences may have been a popular theme in the 80s show Dynasty, but unlike in TV-land, vengeance comes with a heavy spiritual price in the real world.

7) Life is demanding. Instead of targeting someone with animosity and creating more tension and trauma, try other activities like meditation, exercise, watching funny movies, or doing something nice for someone. Lighten up and let it go. Life is too magnificent to waste it being angry.

8) Forgive, but don’t forget. Be compassionate, yet stand your ground.

9) Remember to forgive yourself. It’s amazing how many people have managed to forgive others, but have not found the self-love to forgive themselves.

10) Go through the following list and forgive everyone. Feel the forgiveness. Express the forgiveness. Remember, it’s not for them. This is for you.

Forgive...nnyour parents for ignoring or smothering younyour mom for embarrassing you nsiblings for being too hard on younyour sister for hitting on your high school boyfriendnthat strife-generating coworke
the office ass-kisse
the office tattle-talenthe office opportunistnthe office back-stabbe
bosses who took advantage of your loyaltynthe guy who fired younthe gal who didn’t hire younneighbors for being nosynneighbors for violating your right to peace and quietnyour neighbor’s dog for crapping in your yardnrelatives for making your life a living hellnyour obnoxious auntnyour funny but annoying unclenthe father of your first girlfriendnyour former loversnthe date who stood you upnthe date who slandered your good reputationnextreme liberalsnthose who refuse to separate Church and state
Christians
Muslimsnpoliticians who are fiscally irresponsiblenextreme conservativesnanyone who discriminates based on sexual orientation nanyone who discriminates based on racenanyone who discriminates based on nationalitynrepublicansndemocrats
God, for laughing when you announce your plansnyour higher-self for being so bold on the other sidendark entities--they dislike, are repelled by forgiveness ndemons, for trying to bring you dow

Wall Street hustlers
U.S. Congressnbig governmentnreckless government
Bin Lade

CNN NewsnFOX NewsnCNBC News
ABC NewsnCBS NewsnMSNBC Newsnbiased media reportingndishonest media reportingnbiased reporters who have a political agenda
Katie Couric
Sarah Pali

Barack Obamanterroristsncorrupt politiciansngang-bangers
Barney Frank
Al Gorenradical environmentalistsneco-terroristsnpolluters
Chris Dodd
Chris Cox
Be
ie Madoff
George W. Bush
Hillary Clinto

Rush Limbaugh
Bill Clintonnclassmates from high school and grade schoolnthe economically ignorant nwealth destruction advocatesnthe teacher who embarrassed younthe stock marketnrich peoplenpoor peoplenthe mobnbigotsnhypocritesnaffirmative action advocatesnignorant peoplenintolerant peoplencritical peoplenjealous peoplenjudgmental peoplengaysnbisnstraightsnblacksnwhites
AsiansnLatinos
Native AmericansnIndiansnChinesenJapanesenThais
Middle EasternersnRussians
CanadiansnS. AmericansnC. Americans
AfricansnS. Africans
Europeansnstingy peoplenspendthriftsnanimalsnteachersnpriestsnministersnnunsngamblersnalcoholicsnsmokersnpeople who toss cigarette butts out of their carsndrug addictsnloud mouthsnthe woman who talks way too loudly on her cell phonenthe guy behind you on that flight who wouldn’t shut upncopsncop killersnthose who disrespect military personnelnthose who hate Americansncriminals
And finally, yourself

That’s a lot to forgive, and we’re sure you can think of others you could forgive. But you can do it, and think how much more energy you’ll have to make the most of your life after you do.

“Always forgive your enemies - Nothing annoys them so much.” - Pamela Daranjo

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