You happen to be so angry with someone that to consider forgiveness is imaginary, especially if the person has harmed you. Unfortunately, with each of your riposts, your resentment will intensify and this will put you in a worse state. You will remain negative. How to get free?
Forgiveness is the abandonment of any idea of vengeance or feeling of rancor. Forgiveness includes compassion, generosity, affection and even love for those who have harmed you.
Of course, forgiveness is easier said than done. According to clinicians, you need more time if your traumas are numerous and your wounds are deep. However, forgiving is quite doable and is mostly a necessity. Studies of forgiveness and its positive effects on health have only begun in the last 15 years. The results are abundant. So why do we have to forgive?
Forgiving improves your quality of life
Dr. Steven Standiford has shown that maintaining negative feelings such as anger or frustration often leads patients to a state of chronic anxiety. Numerous studies have also shown that feeding negative feelings probably affects health. Negativity increases the risk of getting cancer because it causes depression and chronic stress. Both influence the excessive production of adrenaline and cortisol. When the level of these two hormones is high, the body's ability to produce "bad cell killer" cells is reduced and this is dangerous because they are your best protection against cancer. To stay healthy, you have to be positive.
Forgiveness makes you feel better about yourself
If you think back to your old injuries, mistreatments and offenses, you will not feel well. As soon as you have such thoughts, several physiological and emotional reactions automatically take place, such as increasing your blood pressure, your muscles are more contracted, parts of your body, such as ankles, swelling, etc.
Recent studies have shown that people who regularly forgive and sympathize with others' misfortunes experience less stress. Approximately 1,500 American subjects claim to have fewer feelings of nervousness, sadness, disarray, and happiness in their lives.
We also recommend forgiveness to people who have been greatly abused emotionally. A group of women was divided into two for an experiment. The first group was taught to develop their interpersonal skills, validate their anger and assert themselves with confidence.
The second group was forgiven. The latter has shown excellent results in managing their lives, increasing self-esteem and decreasing levels of depression, anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Moreover, they still showed these benefits several months after the study.
Forgiveness improves your immunity
A framed study analyzed the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of 78 HIV-positive patients with respect to forgiveness. Surprisingly, the percentage of anti-carcinogenic cells was higher in participants who actually forgave. The study also reveals that forgiveness protects the heart and therefore improves its activity as well as blood pressure. Anger, on the other hand, affects the heart and muscles.
Forgiving improves your sleep cycles
Studies also show that forgiveness affects the quality of your sleep. If you are embittered, hostile or edgy, you will often sleep badly. Forgiveness includes relaxation and stress relief.
Some tips to be more relaxed
To be more relaxed, drink 3 cups of chamomile tea per day as this plant contains molecules that relax the body and relieve the brain.
- Consume foods rich in omega-3 (salmon, nuts ...) as fatty acids chase anxiety. Incorporate amino acid L-lysine (fish, beans, etc.) into your diet as it helps in the synthesis of neurotransmitters.
- Place a little lavender on your pillow or put in your bath as it reduces the pressure and therefore the stress.
- Go to the sun as this increases your vitamin D stocks, which reduces the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Avoid caffeine because it gives you energy but makes you more anxious and tense.
- Do sports to boost your esteem for yourself but also for the production of body fluids like endorphin that reduces stress.
And above all ... forgive to be less stressed!