When something bad happens to you at the hand of another person, do you ever say you could never forgive that person, that they are not deserving of your forgiveness? When you do that, you are doing a great disservice to yourself. Forgiveness is for you. It is not absolution for what someone else did. It allows you to let go of the pain. It doesn’t mean you forget what has been done to you. It means you free yourself of the anger and hurt feelings, so you can move on with your life.
The benefits to forgiving are far reaching. It can lead to improved mental health, a stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, and improved self-esteem. Is the grudge you carry against that person who wronged you worth sacrificing healthy connections with other people? Depression and anxiety? Bitterness?
If you would like to know where to start, we have many books to choose from. Click on the titles or book covers to bring you to our online catalog, where you can place a hold to pick up or find out if the title is your neighborhood branch to pick up. Eligible cardholders can also go to Libby to check out an electronic copy.
Information taken from The Mayo Clinic article, Forgiveness: Letting Go of Grudges and Bitterness
Book descriptions adapted from the publisher.
Forgiveness is a Choice
by
This book, by Dr. Enright, is for those committed to healing anger, resentment, and depression caused by being deeply hurt by another and utilizes four phases to encourage readers to confront and let go of their pain in order to regain their lives: uncovering anger, deciding to forgive, working on forgiveness, and discovery and release.
The Book of Forgiving
by
The Nobel Peace Prize winner and international cultural icon reveals, after much reflection on the process of forgiveness, the four important steps of healing that will allows us to free ourselves of the ties that bind perpetrator to victim in an endless and unyielding cycle of pain and retribution: admitting the wrong, telling one's story, asking for and granting forgiveness, and renewing or releasing the relationship.