Have you done things in the past that you’re not so proud of? Perhaps it was hurting someone’s feelings or for being dishonest? I have.

What about times when you were mean to yourself? Perhaps when failing to meet all the expectations set by your perfectionist self, you beat yourself up for it? I have.

We are not always aware that we need to forgive ourselves. It almost becomes a subconscious roadblock, keeping us away from the things we are truly seeking - Happiness.

Everyone I know, even the most physically attractive ones, have at some point labelled themselves as ‘ugly’. There will always be at least one feature that they physically disliked about themselves. Too short, too tall, too bony, too fat, too skinny, short legs, big nose, small eyes, thinning hair etc. I have always envied people with big, sparkling eyes but I’ve forgiven myself and learnt to be thankful for my minute, dull eyes when I see how difficult it was for the visually-impaired to move around without their sight.

In moments of frustration or under pressure, have you ever called yourself ‘stupid’? I’m guilty of this. People tend to blame themselves and attribute a failure to their own intelligence. It sounds silly, yet it is so easy to fall into this trap. However, I forgive myself when I realise that we are all gifted in our own unique ways. We all contribute to this world differently.

Can you recall looking back at your day and realising that you didn’t do anything productive? And then, you kicked yourself for it? This guilt can serve as a form of motivation for some, but more often it just builds a debt of bad energy. I’ve chosen to forgive myself as I believe that there are lessons to be learnt in every moment of everyday; even a seemingly unproductive day can carry valuable lessons.

We all have habits in our daily lives that we aren’t particularly proud of. Do you feel guilty each time you are reminded of some habits? This is self-imposed mental punishment. Not only does the punishment not feel good, but it also doesn’t help to rid ourselves of the habit. I have to constantly forgive myself for going to bed late or for not getting enough physical exercise. Now, I’m replacing these habits with new habits by working on one habit at a time.

I sometimes feel so guilty for failing to call my parents. I’d call them, but out of guilt rather than genuinely wanting to call. I would get so concerned with releasing the guilt that I’d miss the real point for calling in the first place. I decided to forgive myself by making it a point to call them as often as I could and to visit them whenever I can.

In our stress-prone and time-lacking society, our health seems to be the most convenient thing to neglect. We only take it seriously when something bad happened, when the damage has already been done. We know what we need to do, but we don’t always follow through. I forgive myself by watching what I put into my mouth, cutting down on my supper and moving my butt as often as I could.

As I learnt to be kind to myself, I forgive myself more. Forgiveness helps me to love myself more, which gives me greater capacity to truly love others with openness and compassion.

Have you forgiven yourself yet? If not, do give yourself the gift of forgiveness today!