Forgiving Ourselves
When things happen, why is it so difficult to forgive ourselves? Everyone makes mistakes in life. Sometimes they are small, and sometimes the mistakes end up being really big. Making mistakes is a part of life, and it is how we learn and grow as people. However, sometimes we look at our mistakes as bad things and end up making ourselves bad about the mistakes that we make in life. The key to working through this feeling is to work on forgiving ourselves.
Treat yourself how you would treat a loved one
When looking at how to forgive ourselves, we have to look at ourselves like someone we love. With someone we love, whether it be a significant other, child, parent, or friend, we allow forgiveness and acceptance that they are human and make mistakes. What stops us from feeling that way about ourselves? One of the greatest ways to combat this guilt and negative feeling that we hold on to is to treat ourselves with the love and kindness that we give to those we care about.
Accepting and learning from your mistakes
By recognizing and accepting that this is part of who we are, we can change how we react when we make mistakes, big or large. Another important concept is to learn from our mistakes. By taking time to realize the mistakes that we made, we can learn how to not do them again and grow into a better person from the experience. By treating each mistake as a learning experience, we are turning a negative into a positive.
Conclusion
There will never be a time in your life when you stop making mistakes, but the way that you respond to your mistakes can change how you feel about yourself as well as how you do things moving forward. By loving yourself and setting yourself to the same standards that you set everyone else to, you will find that you’re able to learn from your mistakes and become a better version of yourself.
Learn more about Emily Krouse, LPC here.
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