Forgiving ourselves for the mistakes we make is often more difficult to do than forgiving those who’ve hurt us. But it’s one of the most loving things you can do for yourself, especially when you look at it with compassion and love!

As human beings, we all make mistakes! So instead of beating yourself up for it, how about seeing them as opportunities to learn and grow. When you do, it makes it easier to forgive yourself and move forward.

Self-forgiveness isn’t about pushing down the mistake and ignoring it hoping it’ll go away. It’s about facing it head on so you can work through your feelings. And learn from the situation so it doesn’t happen again. This quote by Brigitte Nicole makes it clear that “sometimes in life, your situation will keep repeating itself until you learn your lesson.”  

So if you’re ready to forgive yourself for mistakes you’ve made, just follow these 6 steps. 

1. Admit to yourself (with compassion and without judgment) that you’ve made a mistake. Being aware that you’ve done something wrong shows your taking responsibility for it. 
2. Journal about and honor the feelings that come up for you. It’s natural and OK to feel sad, disappointed, mad, or frustrated when things don’t go the way you expect them to. What’s not OK is holding onto those feelings and letting them take over your life.
3. Recognize that it’s OK to make mistakes, we all do. Mistakes are not meant for you to beat yourself up, they’re meant to teach you something.
4. Ask yourself “what could I have done differently” and journal your answer. Reflecting on the situation and thinking about how to do it differently next time gives you creative ideas you can use in the future. 
5. Forgive yourself and remember mistakes are opportunities to learn something new about yourself. Tell yourself things like “I can fix this” or “I did the best I could” or “It’s OK to make mistakes” or “I can learn from this mistake” to help you let go of what happened.
6. Ask yourself “what did I learn from this situation” and journal your answer. The more time you spend identifying what you learned, the greater success you’ll have to overcome a similar situation if it happens again.

Forgiveness is a choice you make that requires you to work through the consequences of your actions. These steps will help you get through the tough stuff with love and compassion!