JACKSON, Wyo. — For August’s mental health topic, the Teton County Health Department is highlighting forgiveness. Forgiveness greatly improves mental health by reducing anxiety, stress and tension with others. Explore these resources below and visit the bilingual web-based platform CredibleMind to learn how to forgive yourself and others, and to ask for forgiveness.
Forgiveness empowers you to recognize the pain you suffered without letting that pain define you, allowing you to heal and move on. Most of the time, developing compassion for those who wrong us helps us move on and let go of bitterness and anger. Forgiveness doesn’t automatically mean a reconciliation, but can allow for internal peace. There may be some exceptions, such as sexual abuse. A victim may be more empowered by giving themselves permission not to forgive.
Research shows engaging with forgiveness has an impact on our mental and physical health. When we dwell on grudges, our blood pressure and heart rate spike—signs of stress which damage the body. When we forgive, our stress levels drop. This is one of the ways people who are more forgiving can be protected from negative health effects of stress. Studies also suggest that holding grudges might compromise our immune system, making us less resistant to illness.
Check out the following resources to learn more:
Can you forgive someone without interacting with them at all?
Why is it important to forgive yourself?
How to help your kids understand forgiveness
How to let go of anger and do deep emotional work
How can I ask for forgiveness from my children?
Find additional tools and other self-treatment resources at https://teton.crediblemind.com/. This programming has been made possible through generous funding from the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole’s Behavioral Health Initiatives Grant.
