Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash
What do you want for Christmas this year?  What if you could be free of guilt, fear, sadness and hurt.  Well, maybe I overstated it.  All humans experience positive and negative emotions throughout their lives.  Some of us experience them more, while others suppress, deny and avoid all negative emotions.  I believe that when we suppress the negative, we inadvertently repress the positive emotions too.  In other words, if you internalize sadness, hurt and fear consistently then you will not experience joy, happiness, and excitement as fully.  I encourage you to work at experiencing and expressing the full gamut of emotion, of course, in constructive ways.  Many individuals choose to compartmentalize their emotions and store them in boxes.  Eventually the boxes tumble from the shelf and all of the emotions make a big mess.  Therapy is all about unpacking the boxes and letting go of the emotions.  So what is the gift I’m referring to?  Think forgiveness.  How about letting go of the negative emotions you’ve been carrying for months or years and forgive the person.  Forgiveness is not forgetting, condoning, or reconciling, but it is releasing the emotional pain and choosing to let go of the desire for retribution.  The gift is forgiveness and the choice is yours.  It is a gift that both you and the other person can enjoy.  Decide today to forgive others and maybe yourself so that you can experience more peace this season.