by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: June 05, 2009

Depression affects a huge amount of the population. There are many different reasons for it, but one of the main ones is that someone has hurt us along the way. The pain can root itself so deeply in us that it may seem impossible to get through it. Depression can cause thoughts of suicide and has many other harming effects on the mind. There comes a time that we have to figure out how to deal with the depression so that we can live our lives in a healthy manner.

Forgiveness can be the key to unlock the prison doors of your depression. It allows you to move on in the healthiest way possible. Here is how forgiveness has healing power over depression:

Forgiving Releases

Forgiveness allows us the freedom to walk away from past pains. It releases things that are held deep inside including our fears of the future. This type of relief gives you the power to heal the wounds of the past. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you have to set yourself up again for the same pain. It simply means that you don't hold those angry feelings inside of you any longer.

Moving On

When we can't let go of our past, we can't move into the future. It's as plain and simple as that. Letting go of issues requires forgiveness even those who have committed horrible acts on us. Dealing with the pain day in and day out allows victory to the anger that you hold inside of you. Forgiveness is essential if you no longer want to feel that pain.

Ability

Forgiveness gives you the ability to have future relationships with others without fear or doubt hanging just above your head. Depression often sets into those of us who hold these issues within us. When letting go of that anger in the form of forgiveness, we are able to also rid ourselves of depression that keeps us from moving into healthy relationships.

Removes Self-Doubt

Self-doubt is part of depression. It often comes to us because of some dreadful thing that happened to us. This could be anything from a bad break up with the love of our lives to child abuse that was once suffered. You feel as though you can't do anything right and that you aren't good enough for anyone or anything. Forgiving the offender is the first and most important step in taking away the doubt that you have about yourself. Self-doubt destroys a person. Letting go is the only release sometimes.

Forgiving someone doesn't take as much as you think. It can take a great deal of time to come to it. There may be a lot of healing that you have to do in other areas, but it is possible to come to terms with the hold that depression has on you. You can move past it, but you have to take the first steps. Those step can be small, but once you start making them, you will be amazed at how much better you will feel.

The fact that you forgive someone means that you are giving up. This is one of the good ways to give up though. Whether it is ourselves we have to forgive or others, it is important to find a way to do it. Being depressed is one of the worst feelings in the world. If we cannot find a way to forgive, we sentence ourselves to a life of it. Get out from under the spell that it holds over you. Talk to a counselor or other professional so that he/she can aid you in your recovery. Don't let depression destroy your life. There are far too many great things in life to allow our past to destroy us. Forgiveness does have healing power over depression. It may not solve all of your problems, but lifting the weight off of your shoulders can certainly make a huge difference in your attitude towards life.

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