Understanding forgiveness and using it in your life to move forward with relationships and career is a daunting task when you're feeling betrayed and hurt. It is well known that exercise is a powerful antidote to depression. However, try exercising when you're depressed. It's not that easy. Similarly, it's pretty well known that forgiveness is good for you and releases pent up creative energy. However, doing the work to forgive is not that easy, even when you understand why you need to forgive. Here are some points to keep in mind when thinking about how to forgive:

Be compassionate with yourself.

Sometimes what stops people from forgiving is the pressure to do so in the first place. Have compassion with yourself when you are having difficulty forgiving. In many faith traditions there is a pressure to forgive and those who cannot forgive often think they have failed. In reality, it may not be time for you to forgive, and if you force yourself to do something that you are not ready to do; you may be adding to the problem and creating another layer of resentment. Simply being willing to think about forgiveness may be your first step, and it may be enough until you arrive at clarity about what forgiveness is, and what it is not. Try not to put a schedule on your forgiveness.

Forget about remorse and revenge.

Sometimes what stops people from forgiving is a desire to get even, or a hope that the person being forgiven will show some remorse. Sometimes this is simply impossible because the person may have passed away, or the grudge may be held against something like life itself. Revenge is not always possible, and it is always not advisable. Getting revenge gives a mild relief but frequently results in a feeling of guilt for having stooped to the very kind of actions that hurt, please visit www.klearconcept.org for details on this post