Forgiving Yourself

Forgiveness is a key part of addiction recovery—and often it is forgiving yourself that proves the most difficult.

It is common to feel remorse over things you may have done or said while under addiction’s sway; even once you are in the recovery process, letting go of those things—and giving yourself the love and acceptance you deserve—is a big hurdle.

There are ways to work on self-forgiveness, though—practical strategies you can adopt.

Consider some of the following:

Convince yourself that the past is the past. Yes, this may sound elementary, and it can be hard to do—but by accepting the reality that what is done is done; you can begin to move on and to embrace a better future.

Make a re-do list. Write down some of the things you have done wrong, things you feel guilty over—but also how you would approach them differently today. This is a great way of proving to yourself that you have learned and grown.

Remind yourself that addiction is a disease, not a choice. While this does not necessarily absolve you of responsibility for your past actions, it does help remind you that you did the best you could at the time, and that your thinking and decision-making were impaired by forces beyond your control.

Say you’re sorry. There’s no need to keep apologizing over and over again—but there is some merit to saying you’re sorry, sincerely, to the people you may have hurt.

Get close to God. God forgives people. He loves. That’s fundamental to faith in the Divine. If you’re struggling to forgive yourself, remember that God already has.

Faith in Christ is a key component in all of this. So is the clarity that addiction recovery affords. Invest in both as you seek to move toward self-love.

[cta]How do you forgive yourself? Share your thoughts with us![/cta]