For years, I didn’t know how to forgive myself.
I carried the weight of every mistake I had made—every time I showed up in a way I didn’t like, every decision I questioned, every word I wished I could take back.
💭 “I should have known better.”
💭 “Why did I let that happen?”
💭 “If I had done things differently, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way.”
I kept waiting for someone else to tell me it was okay to let go.
But deep down, I knew: only I could give myself permission to heal.
💡 That’s when I began the quiet, honest process of learning how to forgive myself and finally move forward.
1️⃣ I Faced What I Was Holding On To
I couldn’t move forward while pretending nothing happened.
So I faced the memories I’d been avoiding—the guilt, regret, and self-judgment.
💡 The Shift: I stopped avoiding my past and began meeting it with honesty.
🔹 What I Changed:
✅ I acknowledged the pain I had caused (to myself and others)
✅ I let myself feel the discomfort instead of numbing it
✅ I asked: “What did I need in that moment that I didn’t know how to ask for?”
🚀 The result? I created space for healing—not punishment.
2️⃣ I Chose to Forgive Myself with Compassion
One of the hardest things I’ve done was realizing I deserved compassion too.
Not because I did everything right, but because I was still growing.
💡 The Shift: I learned that forgiveness isn’t excusing the past—it’s choosing not to carry the pain forward.
🔹 What I Changed:
✅ I stopped replaying the moment I couldn’t change
✅ I reminded myself: “You did your best with what you knew then.”
✅ I spoke kindly to the version of me that didn’t yet know better
🚀 The result? I softened, and began releasing the guilt I had held so tightly.
3️⃣ How I Keep Practicing to Forgive Myself Daily
Forgiveness isn’t something I did once—it’s something I return to again and again.
Because even now, I make mistakes. I fall short. I forget my boundaries. And I still have to forgive myself.
💡 The Shift: I let go of the idea that healing had to be complete to be real.
🔹 What I Changed:
✅ I created rituals of release—journaling, breathwork, reflection
✅ I let myself start over without shame
✅ I accepted that self-forgiveness is a form of self-leadership
🚀 The result? I began walking forward—with more peace and less baggage.
The Truth About How I Forgive Myself
I used to think forgiveness was something I had to earn.
But now I know it’s something I can give myself—with compassion, courage, and care.
✔ You don’t have to keep punishing yourself to prove you’ve changed
✔ You can hold yourself accountable and still move on
✔ You are allowed to grow without staying stuck
💡 Learning to forgive myself didn’t mean I forgot what happened.
It meant I chose to grow from it instead of being defined by it.
What’s Next: How I Keep Going When Progress Feels Slow
In my next blog, I’ll share how I stayed committed to healing and balance—even when it felt like nothing was working, and growth felt invisible.
📢 Have you ever struggled to forgive yourself? What helped you release the past and move forward? Let’s talk in the comments 💬
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