Forgiveness happens when we stop holding a grudge and let go of our right to resentment for being mistreated. It means turning the other cheek—doing unto others as we would have others do unto us, not as they did do unto us. Forgiveness doesn’t mean we stop protecting ourselves, of course, but it does mean we let go of tit-for-tat retaliation. This includes the emotional retaliation of anger and bitterness, which only hurts ourselves in the long run. Self-compassion makes it easier to forgive, partly because it gives us the ability to heal the emotional wounds caused by others.
