Forgiving is not an easy task to accomplish. On the contrary, when we feel that someone has caused us a lot of harm, we usually think that that person is not worthy of being forgiven. However, forgiveness is not only about the other person, but also about ourselves. When we don't practice it, we are the ones who begin to suffer the consequences, since even holding anger in our hearts hurts us and causes us pain. The act of forgiving goes far beyond simply saying the phrase: "I forgive you", since only then will you not truly forget what happened. Forgiveness is an act that arises from a firm decision and involves a series of steps. We must understand that when we decide to forgive, we are also fighting our pain and walking a path of healing and happiness. This process is not always easy and may take years to complete. However, if you have considered that you should free yourself from the burden of being angry at someone for what they have done to you, then you can begin your journey to forgiveness with these steps: Make the decision to forgive. If you have a lot of resentment, forgiving will be especially beneficial to you. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Therefore, you need to focus on making this decision that will allow you to free yourself from pain and live the life you deserve. The other person does not need to listen to you. To forgive you don't need to say it out loud to the person who hurt you. Making the decision to forgive only means that the anger caused by an offense will no longer create harm or distress in your life. Externalize what you feel. It's not healthy to have a bunch of negative emotions bottled up inside you. You need to externalize and remove everything that bothers you. To do this, you have to imagine having that person in front of you and tell them everything you feel: why you felt offended, what hurt you the most and finally tell them that you forgive them. Even if you never talk to that person in real life, this will take a huge weight off your shoulders. Discover your emotions. Often anger appears first, but behind it are other feelings that cause harm in your life, such as rejection, sadness, disappointment, or humiliation. Try to identify what you really feel, so you can move forward. Acknowledge your mistakes. When we feel offended or hurt, it is often difficult for us to see what we have done wrong. However, in every conflict, we are also partly responsible. Find what you can do better, so next time you can improve on how you did it. Let go of negative emotions. Finally, you need to ask yourself: What does this pain add to my life? Usually, we can't forgive because we think that would mean we would be hurt again. However, remember that you are the only one in control of your emotions and decide right now to stop wasting your time and happiness thinking about something another person did in the past. When you follow all these steps, you will find that you reach a state of inner peace that will make you much happier. This will also help you create better connections with those around you, as you will know that they can only hurt you if you let them.