How Do You Forgive Yourself For Past Mistakes?

We need to know how to let go of the past when a problem begins to turn into a burden that prevents us from moving forward, improving ourselves, and being happy.

What happened in the past should not interfere with the feelings or emotions you have today. While it is true that we can use our mistakes as a lesson, there are many who do not forgive themselves for yesterday’s mistakes. They just don’t move on with life. You need to learn how to forgive yourself for past mistakes.

Forgive yourself for past mistakes

While it may seem like a cliché, it’s true that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. The difference, however, is in how we accept those past mistakes and how we learn from them.

It doesn’t do us any good to sit at home crying or thinking about what we’ve done wrong if we don’t look for answers. Blaming or punishing ourselves will not help us with this.

It’s about understanding what happened and finding ways to prevent it from happening again, or to prevent it from negatively affecting us again.

It is not easy to forgive others or ourselves. Yesterday’s mistakes often haunt us and refuse to let go. Forgiveness depends on our ability to put mistakes behind us through reflection, self-awareness and knowledge.

When we make certain mistakes, we feel defeated, desperate and scared. It’s like driving a nail in your finger and then removing it, only to drive it back in. That way, the nail will hurt us forever.

Of course, forgiving ourselves is not easy, but it is worth it. You will feel a great relief when the enormous pressure is off your shoulders. It prevents you from repeating the mistakes of the past in the future.

Tips for Forgiving Past Mistakes

To forgive yourself, it’s time to look back and accept the past mistakes you’ve made.

Although you may not believe it, we are often our own strictest judges. We judge ourselves more heavily than others. Start today and remember that every mistake is an opportunity to grow.

1. Look (and find) the positive side of things

Contrary to what people believe, there is always something good in every situation. From pain, failures and mistakes we can grow, mature and understand life better. If you make mistakes, think for a moment: how can I use this to make things better?

To avoid making the mistake again, you need to find the “lesson” in it. Reflect as long as you need to until you find the positive side of things, then move on to forgiving yourself.

2. Determine the ‘why’ of forgiveness

Forgiveness is a very important act because it frees us from a prison that we often enter without realizing it and remain trapped.

You may feel guilty or responsible for something that happened, and you can’t forgive yourself because of it. The memories can be very painful, but you should know that even though the consequences were negative, you have time to free yourself and resolve the situation.

Show yourself that you are able to change, improve and that you regret. It will be easier for you to find forgiveness.

3. Love yourself above all else

We attack ourselves more than others, without defending ourselves. Sometimes we are too critical of our mistakes and can’t forgive our past mistakes because we don’t love ourselves enough.

Self-confidence is not synonymous with narcissism, nor is it the belief that we deserve divine mercy. Rather, it allows us to understand, be compassionate and love ourselves even with our flaws.

Try to love yourself as a bridge to forgiveness and you will see how much better you feel about yourself.

4. Think about the future

Living too much in the past keeps us from looking to the future. Clinging to yesterday is one of the biggest obstacles that keeps us stuck in the same place. A good way to make this burden go away is by planning and defining objectives.

If you keep your eyes on your goals, remember that what you’ve done before won’t matter all that much, or at least won’t hold such an important place in your mind.

You can even use your mistakes as a platform to act, once you know what to avoid to make your dreams come true.

5. Start all over

Starting from scratch is a great way to forgive ourselves for yesterday’s mistakes. You must strive to be like a phoenix and rise from the ashes.

Leave behind the pain and problems that kept you from growing. Focus on this “new me” who does not have the same fear or suffering, but rather experiences and wisdom.

Leave the past exactly where it is: in the past. See your mistakes as lessons and apply them to the present so that your future will be perfect.

6. Spiritual Growth

You may need some “external” help to help accept what happened if you’ve tried several times to forgive yourself without much success.

What are your options? There are a number of them: meditating, praying, following a spiritual ritual, going to a psychologist… All these things can help you grow spiritually and emotionally.

Of course, you can always set aside a few minutes of your day to reflect, and think positively (not about your mistakes, but about how you can improve the situation).

Look for the moments when no one is disturbing you: for example before you go to bed or when you wake up, or even when you are in the shower.

7. Appreciate your current life

A surplus of past or future is not good for anyone, because it fills us with sadness or fear (depending on the situation). To avoid this, it is vital that you enjoy the present as fully as possible and that you try to be consistent.

Think about what is most important in your life right now? What should you be thankful for?

It’s many things. Acknowledge them!