By Nijiama Smalls
The Black Girl’s Guide to Healing Emotional Wounds
I used to have an issue with forgiveness. I used to hold grudges like no other. I would completely stop speaking to my offender because I wanted to let them know I hated them and no longer “messed with them.”
But here’s what I learned:
Unforgiveness leads to bitterness, which causes one to become endlessly negative and to have an overall cynical outlook on life.
Unforgiveness impacts our overall physical health. Harboring anger, hate and disappointment increases our risk of depression, heart disease and depression.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to see if you are harboring some unforgiveness:
Do you roll your eyes when you hear your offender’s name or see them?
Do you try your best to avoid your offender?
Do you have something negative to say about them when their name is mentioned?
Do you secretly hope something bad happens to them and/or feel they do not deserve good things to happen to them in life?
Do you replay the conversation you had with them in your head dissecting it or wishing you had said things differently?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s time to do some healing work.
This article was originally published by The Black Girl’s Guide to Healing.
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