Forgiving does not mean condoning offences or condoning or reconciling with the offender. However, you need to realize that you are harming oneself, by the built up of stress hormones. This is as a result of the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system, when you allow anger and frustration to fester within oneself, by not forgiving.

The investigations of Dr Kathleen Lawler at the University of Tennessee reveals that the raised levels of blood pressure tend to make non-forgiving persons, more prone to heart attacks and strokes.


One way of trying to be forgiving it to realize that you might have done similarly, if you were in the other person’s place. The mental agony that you experience while harbouring a grudge can also be quite emotionally painful.


Forgiveness first happens in the mind and brings about a great sense of relief. Even if after forgiving you do not continue any contact with the forgiven person, the very thought of having forgiven, releases stress. You need to realize that life is too short to continue harbouring a grudge and harm your own health over it.