The power of forgiveness

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Forgiving those who have harmed you has a favorable impact on physical and mental health.
New Year is a good time to let go of old patterns and move on. And, as doctors at Harvard Medical School point out, nowhere is this truer than in the area of forgiveness. They summarize the research in this area and conclude that forgiving those who have done you wrong helps you more than it does them.

Nursing a grudge creates stress, raising blood pressure. But forgiving someone lowers your blood pressure and heart rate, and also reduces the workload of the heart. A study also shows that those with chronic back pain felt less pain and anxiety if they did meditation that concentrated on forgiveness.

Relationships become closer - with physical and mental health benefits - when women forgive their spouses, according to research. And studies have shown that those who deal with forgiveness issues in psychotherapy find greater resolution than those who do not. So if you are holding a resentment, why not consider letting go of it?

Source
Harvard Women's Health Watch January 2005

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