One of the hardest parts of a recovery journey is forgiving yourself. Addiction is inherently harmful to both yourself and the people around you. Once a person is working on overcoming their addiction, it’s common to feel emotions such as guilt and shame. Dwelling too strongly on these feelings of guilt and shame can be a detriment to your recovery. For the sake of your health and recovery, forgiving yourself is vital.
However, healthy forgiveness doesn’t mean forgiving and forgetting. It takes hard work and self-reflection to understand what has happened and grow as a person. But how do you go about forgiving yourself for the harm you have caused to your body and mind? What about forgiving yourself for the harm you have caused to others? The answer Is different for each person, but they don’t have to find these answers alone.
Painted Desert Recovery gives clients a safe and supportive environment to find these answers. Assisted by compassionate and understanding mental health care professionals, clients are given the strength needed to do what is necessary, but difficult. Part of that is learning why self-forgiveness is important and then finding the strength within to forgive yourself.
Forgiving Yourself to Let Go of Pain
One of the reasons why self-forgiveness is so important is because it can have a marked effect on your health. Holding onto feelings like anger, shame, and bitterness can affect your heart health and immune system. Without self-forgiveness, people may feel as though they don’t deserve help and that the pain they feel is justified punishment. The truth is that nobody deserves this pain and addiction is not a punishment. A person is not “bad” or “tainted” for struggling with addiction; they are simply a person who needs help.
Forgiving yourself allows you to let go of the lingering pain and bitterness that can hold you back in treatment and recovery. It allows someone to reach a healthier state of wellness which gives them the strength to remain in recovery. Holding on to this pain can make it difficult to cope with triggers and cravings. It frees up the mind to let go of the lingering guilt so you can focus on growth and improvement.
Recovery from addiction can be painful, even with tools and coping skills. However, treatment and recovery give people the opportunity to grow as people. Forgiving yourself allows you to accept the situation you were in and use it to become a healthier and happier person. Our experiences shape us for better or worse, but using wisdom gained from experience can pave the way for a better future.
Forgiving Yourself to Allow Positive Change
The process of forgiving yourself allows you to open up to the idea of positive change. Addictions can ruin relationships and cause harm to many people. As long as you are alive, there are always opportunities to make amends and rebuild what was broken. Forgiving yourself can be the catalyst you need to seek help in repairing these relationships. Therapies such as group therapy or family therapy can be used to help bridge the gap and encourage healing. However, making amends can take time and cannot be rushed. It’s always helpful to have the guidance of a mental health care professional to help you on this particular journey.
One reason why forgiving yourself is so important is so you don’t fall into the trap of overly punishing yourself. Some people may think that they can never truly earn forgiveness. They run themselves ragged to the detriment of their health and safety in an attempt to make amends for their actions in an unhealthy way. This can become a vicious cycle, as many may never feel as if they can make up for their actions. Forgiving yourself stops this behavior by allowing yourself to give back in a way that doesn’t cost your mental and physical health.
Understanding That It’s Okay to Forgive Yourself
Forgiving yourself can be difficult, especially if you feel as though you don’t deserve it. This important step in recovery is not just to inspire change or make amends; it’s also a way to be kind to yourself. You need to give yourself credit for what you have accomplished, even if it’s hard to see the positivity within yourself. Thankfully, professionals exist that can help us see the good within ourselves.
At Painted Desert Recovery, clients have access to several kinds of therapy to help them be kind to their past and present selves. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is perhaps the most common therapy used to begin the journey of self-forgiveness. This therapy intensifies harmful thoughts and behavioral patterns, including the desire for self-punishment. Treatment providers work closely with the client to help them understand why they are so hard on themselves. Eventually, clients learn that there are aspects of themselves worth celebrating and they too deserve to forgive themselves.
Forgiving yourself for your past mistakes can be one of the most difficult things you can do, but it’s possible and necessary for recovery. At this very moment, you are a different person than who you were in the past. Forgiving yourself gives yourself permission to heal and grow. Once you can take this step, you can find yourself accomplishing anything.
Guilt and shame can weigh heavily on a person’s mind and body, even long after the action that has caused it. Sometimes these feelings can impact a person’s ability to recover from an addiction. Part of recovery is learning how to forgive yourself for situations beyond your control and take accountability for actions you are responsible for. It’s an emotional and complicated process, but people don’t have to undergo the process on their own. At Painted Desert Recovery in New Harmony, Utah, clients learn about forgiveness and how to forgive themselves. Only by letting go of misplaced guilt can a person truly heal. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, call (844) 540-0353 today.
