Reflective Statement: Beginning the Journey to a Better Quality of Life Through Forgiveness

Some of the stressors we encounter are from individual’s we care about such as our family and friends.  Also, some of the stressors we encounter are emotional which makes us angry and frustrates us.  And when we are angry and frustrated, we tend to let our emotions take the best of us and let it eat us up.  Therefore Seaward (2009) reports of a coping skill that is quite effective, it is called forgiveness.    Forgiveness is defined as “A coping technique for anger-related stressors for which a shift in attitude is adopted toward those against whom a grudge was previously held” (Seaward, 2009, p. 330).  Meaning, it is a way of curing our anger.  Having said that, forgiveness is considered an effective coping skill because when we forgive, we are able to let go of the stress of what has happened and we can easily move on with our life.  In addition, when we forgive, we are helping our inner selves by letting go.  Furthermore, forgiveness is considered an internal healing process in which we are able to come into terms with stressful issues and find peace not for the individual we forgave but for ourselves.  However, forgiving is not an easy thing to do.  Some individual’s have too much pride and are stubborn like me and holds a grudge.  But by swallowing one’s pride and forgiving one another, we can find inner peace within our body, mind and soul.  Overall, when we forgive, we are no longer considered victims but survivors.    

Seaward, B. L. (2009). Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC.