How to Forgive Yourself

The other day I got a phone call with some news I wasn’t so keen to hear. It threw me off a little and made me feel like some things I had been working on were off track.

Mostly, I was picking up judgement from someone, when deep down inside, I knew I was exactly on track with what I had been working on.

But, because I am human and sensitive and imperfect, I let myself be influenced by their thoughts, therefore second guessed myself.

After the call, I felt a bit of anger rise inside myself for being on the receiving end of judgement. (Who are you to judge me!?)

Then, I felt anxiety, because I began to question my choices.

Then, I felt sadness, because I felt as though I was doing everything beautifully and felt so in a groove. Was I wrong?

Then, I felt upset, because I didn’t want to be angry with this person, as they only meant to be helpful.

That’s a lot of emotion swirling at once, wouldn’t you agree?

Before I could let myself spiral out of control completely, I decided to stop everything and treat myself to 30 minutes of yoga.

I knew that if I slowed everything down a bit and connected to my breath and my body, I would find some stillness.

I set my intention around FORGIVENESS.

Forgiveness of this other person, but more so, forgiving myself.

For what, you might be wondering. I didn’t do anything wrong.

Let me explain. As I ended in savasana, I invited Life to give me a mantra to keep with me the rest of the day.

Here’s what came to me. And I want you to read it closely.

I FORGIVE MYSELF FOR BUYING INTO THE ILLUSION THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH ME.

Sometimes outside energies throw us into a tizzy. Sometimes, it’s our very own energy that can do that. Judgement, anger, anxiety, and sadness can leave us feeling like something is terribly wrong and ‘off’ with ourselves, our life, or our choices.

But as I slipped into the stillness of the meditation, I realized there was nothing wrong at all. All was well. No one was hurt. No one had done anything bad. I was ok. It was just information.

And I could choose to do what I wanted with that information.

I could be attached to it or I could simply let it float by like a cloud passing on a beautiful day.

I FORGIVE MYSELF FOR BUYING INTO THE ILLUSION THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH ME.

I could stay married to the idea that maybe I had made a bad choice and therefore am a bad person, or I could forgive myself for slipping into this kind of thinking.

(I hadn’t made a bad choice in this case, though that DOES happen to us from time to time. It sure happens to me! But even still, it does not mean we are bad people. This is very important.)

You see, staying committed to the thought that there is something wrong with us rarely moves us in a good direction.

If anything, it makes us want to hide. Or it makes us feel ashamed. Or it makes us do things to try to prove we are ok. And trying to prove something is not a valuable way to spend your energy.

The next time you are feeling caught in a loop that something is wrong with you or that you have made a terrible choice, I invite you to close your eyes and breathe.

Follow your breath for 10 counts. Then, go ahead and use this mantra:

I FORGIVE MYSELF FOR BUYING INTO THE ILLUSION THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH ME.

My hope is that within 2-3 minutes of this, you reconnect to the magnificent human that you are.

My dear friend Heather Jones is currently holding a free class where she teaches this exact method as it pertains to your body. If you have been struggling with emotional eating or you are ready to stop beating yourself up when it comes to your body, I highly recommend you check it out RIGHT HERE.

Then, I would love for you to share this post about forgiveness with a friend who could use a little forgiveness.

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Feel free to leave me a comment to let me know how this resonated and share the image on your Instagram if it speaks to you.

Sending you love and forgiveness,
Erin

P.S. I am super excited to announce that a book is officially coming! I will be making an announcement soon!

P.P.S. I am also working on something new for you. Here is a hint: A bunch of short (5 minute!) and very doable workouts! Stay tuned as I will share more as it gets closer to revealing the new project.

P.P.S Forgiveness is one of the most powerful tools we can keep in our tool chest. This mantra is one you should keep in your pocket.