6 Amazing Physical Benefits Of Forgiving Those Who Hurt You (Part 1)

A lot have been said about forgiveness. But why exactly should one forgive, what are physical benefits of ‘this difficult act’ of forgiveness?

Let me start with this short but true story. Some time ago, I was in Lagos, Nigeria producing a TV documentary on the activities of an international non-governmental organisation helping indigent women in Nigeria. In one of the interviews, I spoke with a 4-year-old girl and her mother. This little girl had been sexually defiled severally by an adult she knows and trusts.  The mother broke down narrating the story. It was so difficult listening to the child tell her story that we had to stop the interview. It was so heart breaking. Current scientific research suggests that this girl and her mother should forgive this attacker, for their own health benefits. How easy or possible is this?

Photo courtesy of theidproject.org

Permit me to share on the benefits of forgiveness.

I checked out several sources including Inspire, and was pleasantly surprised by the numerous health benefits of forgiveness accruing to you for forgiving someone, indeed people, no matter how hard it may be. Just as day and night is certain, so will people offend, betray or disappoint you. Do you know that holding a grudge or unforgiveness can cause you measurable physical pain?

So what is forgiveness? Forgiveness is a trainable skill that helps you to take wrongs, hurts and injustice less personally. You can learn to forgive. A sage once said that, "Holding on to anger or unforgiveness is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned". This is food for thought.

Let me quickly add that simply accepting an apology from someone who might have hurt you does not translate to forgiving. Forgiveness is not just letting people go. Forgiveness is a state of mind; it is the uncommon ability to see beyond a wrong. Forgiveness is for you, not for anyone else. You may have heard of to "forgive and forget", but what does that really mean. How can one forget a wrong when your brain can be retentive and configured in magnificent ways that science has still not unraveled?

Simply, to forget means to relate with someone who has offended you in such a way that the past wrong is not used as a basis in your current interaction with such a person. In achieving forgiveness, it is important to acknowledge that you have been hurt, even if the offender sees it differently. Forgiveness is not condoning, excusing or denying an offense. It may not also involve putting yourself back to the firing line. So, what are the benefits of forgiving, or forgiveness? These points are scientifically proven.

TO BE CONTINUED

Kindly encourage your friends to visit this blog www.iamchukwuemeka.blogspot.com  for motivational and inspirational pieces. You may never know how it can benefit them.

chukwuemeka okereafor

I am available to creatively:

-  anchor, facilitate or compere your corporate events

-  speak to and train your team

-  produce content and visibility for you or your organisation

- write your speeches, citations, press releases, advert

orials and advert copies

-  provide mass media and public relations consultancy

- produce radio and TV jingles, documentaries and other media outputs

-  create community engagement media for your community outreach

- capture and document your meetings, sessions, workshops, public outings and other important events using photographic, audio and video equipment.

You can reach me directly on +234 (0)805 334 0599. You may also write to P O Box 11758, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria or email chukwuemeka@chukwuemeka.org. My twitter account is @Chukwuemeka777 or @iamchukwuemeka, on Skype I am Chukwuemeka Okereafor.

Thank you for allowing me into your world.