One of the practices I return to again and again is forgiveness.
Sometimes it’s daily. Other times, weekly. But when someone stirs up feelings of anger, resentment—or even hate (yes, I said it… I’m human too)—I reach for my red pen and pull out my journal.
I write them a letter.
Not to send, but to set myself free.
In that letter, I apologize.
I apologize to them for wanting them to be someone they’re not—when in truth, they have the absolute right to be who they are.
And I apologize to myself—for not paying attention to the red flags, for choosing others over me, for abandoning my own needs in the name of being “nice.”
Because here’s the truth:
I don’t want to carry tension in my body because of someone else.
I don’t want to shrink, harden, or close off.
I want my peace. I want my heart light.
And this is how I return to myself.
Why Forgiveness Matters (For You)
Because here’s the truth: unforgiveness is heavy.
Resentment, anger, and hate do not float away with time—they lodge themselves inside the body. In your shoulders. In your gut. In your jaw. In the tightness you feel when someone brings up that person. In the weariness that won’t go away no matter how long you sleep.
Science shows what our souls already know: emotional pain, if not acknowledged and released, becomes physical pain. The tension we feel when we replay the story in our minds over and over again? That’s not just emotional. It’s energetic. It becomes a vibration your body starts carrying.
And that’s why forgiveness is not about the other person—it’s about you.
It’s about choosing lightness. Choosing freedom. Choosing peace.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean you’re saying what happened was okay. It means you’re no longer willing to be the one holding the knife in your own heart. It means you’re releasing yourself from the prison of past pain.
Remember the body keeps scores.
So forgive—not because they deserve it.
But because you do.
With all my heart,
Salima
