Weekly newsletter
I. Prompts for motivation
Do you think you’re good at letting things go soon after a situation happens, or do you tend to bottle things up and fester for way longer than you’d like? Can you think of any other options you have at the moment, instead of keeping everything inside?
Is forgiveness and closure something that comes easily for you? Who in your life inspires you to actively do your best to rise above any negative emotions that drain you of your energy and well-being?
II. Thoughts for intention
Resentment is an emotion that comes up from witnessing or experiencing unfair treatment at some point in our lives. This can lead to feelings of indignation, especially when the matter at hand appears as a direct violation of our ethics and moral compass. But when we refuse to take a moment to process our emotions and let them pass, we risk carrying residual negativity to our relationships.
When left unattended, resentment can lead to extremely intense toxicity that does more harm than we realize, mentally and physically. It’s not natural to put our bodies in this fight-or-flight mode for an extended period of time. If paired with extreme anger, this kind of emotion can debilitate the person carrying it and even lead to chronic conditions such as depression, heart problems, and unhealthy changes in one’s blood pressure and immune response.
III. Ideas for preparation
Over the course of our lives, we inevitably face unresolved memories of tension and wrongdoing from others. It is only natural and to be expected, just from the number of people we encounter in a lifetime. But it’s what we do with our emotions that determines our potential to heal and evolve. Because when we breathe through the intensity with genuine love and compassion, we are actually practicing the necessary skills to rise above any feelings of resentment with honesty and maturity.
It can be extremely challenging to see things from another’s point of view, especially immediately following such a painful experience. This is why talking things out with someone who will keep things real with us in an unbiased way helps us find better clarity from an outsider’s perspective. Ultimately, it’s up to us to learn what it means to practice empathy for the person or situation in question, as well as the helpful steps we might take to transform a difficult moment into one of healing and forgiveness.
IV. Quotes for inspiration
“One cannot keep an adder in one’s breast to feed one, nor rise up every night to sow thorns in the garden of one’s soul.”
― Oscar Wilde, Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
“They hate people and their stories; they have hated for so long and with such intensity that in the end the darkness enveloped their whole bodies until their shapes were no longer discernible. That is also why they are so difficult to defeat, because they can disappear into walls or into the ground or float up. They’re ferocious and bloodthirsty, and if you’re bitten by one you don’t just die; a far more serious and terrible fate lies in store; you lose your imagination.”
― Fredrik Backman, My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry
