01/22/2026
๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ:
Can you forgive yourself for the things you did when you didn't know any better?
We often judge our past selves harshly, from the perspective of where we are now - with the wisdom and awareness we gained along the way.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐๐ง ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐จ๐ง.
That decision you regret? That relationship you stayed in for too long? The way you coped in a crisis?
You were functioning with the tools, knowledge and emotional capacity you had at that time. You were doing the best you could with what you had.
Holding onto shame for past actions doesn't change the past. It only burdens your present. Remember, self-forgiveness isn't about excusing behavior.
But it ๐๐ about releasing the permanent condemnation of someone who was learning, surviving, and doing their level best with the knowledge they had.
It's the act of saying:
"I see that differently now.
๐'๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง.
๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฒ."
Actually, this is often some of the deepest, most transformative work we do in therapy.
๐๐จ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ?
