Holidays are about getting together with family and friends. Although these gatherings can bring joy it can also create a lot of stress. Relationships between some family members may not always be smooth going and cause tension and stress. It is also not unusual for us to go home and begin judging or blaming people for what we think they have done. Our expectations may also get us in trouble and can be out of line with what our reality is all about.
One way to deal with the stress of the holidays is to remember what the holidays are really about, the practice of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a voluntary act in which we make a decision to see things differently, not through the eyes of anger or guilt, but through the eyes of understanding and compassion. Forgiveness is a decision to let go of our emotional baggage. It is not about letting someone off the hook, it is about our decision to let go of the past and move on. Holding a grudge against someone really only hurts the person holding the grudge. Deciding not to forgive is a decision to actually continue our suffering.
The following are some suggestions to help us in being able to forgive.
* Be willing to entertain the thought of forgiveness.
* Recognize our tendency to play the victim role and be willing to let go.
* Remember that forgiveness is about letting go of our emotional baggage. our hurts and our resentments.
* Recognize that our judgments are not facts.
* Ask yourself, would you rather be right or happy?
* Think about making peace of mind your primary goal to happiness this holiday season.
* Remember that forgiveness is a key to that happiness.
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