I’ve discussed forgiveness here a few times (Five Questions with Forgiveness Expert, Dr. Everett Worthington; Anger at God; The Value of Forgiveness) so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I think it’s a valuable anger-reduction strategy.
The most important thing about forgiveness is that it helps you stop ruminating. Continuing to think about the provocation, or ruminating, is a big part of what makes anger so unhealthy for some people. Forgiving the person who has wronged you is an important step toward letting go of those angry thoughts.
How do you do it? Great question. The most important things to understand, though, is that forgiving doesn’t necessarily mean you forget what happened. Nor does it necessarily mean you resume the relationship you had with them prior to them wronging you. Forgiveness means deciding to let go of the anger and the desire for revenge. It means replacing those negative emotions with more positive emotions.
Here are three really good resources to help you on your journey to forgiveness.
