CHALLENGE Learn to Forgive

You'll feel a little lighter after following this expert guidance.

- ALYSSA JUNG

No heads in the sand here we know that forgiving someone is hard! But navigating the bumpy path to forgiveness is worth it; it will lead to a healthier, happier you and also preserve or strengthen interpersonal relationships that N are important to you.

"Forgiveness is liberating and frees real estate in your mind and body," says Simira Freeman, Psy.D., a psychologist in New York City. "When we feel we've been wronged, it can cause stress and emotional dysregulation. Making a conscious decision to forgive a transgression can be a chance to positively reframe and release negative feelings." Forgiveness helps prevent resentment a mindset that can be harmful if allowed to linger and fester for too long from taking over, and it also helps us better navigate future conflicts. "When we learn how to forgive, we feel more grounded and stable. Other people's behaviors have less power over us because we have a practice that sustains us as we weather a storm," explains Robyn Martin, L.P.C.-S., a senior clinician at the Menninger Clinic in Houston.

Not to mention that holding on to grudges is exhausting! Here's how relationship experts say you can harness your sneakiest superpower (the power to forgive) to be your healthiest self.

WEEK 1

FEEL ALL THE FEELS Tapping into emotions you're trying to let go of may sound counterintuitive, but it's a crucial part of processing what went down so that you can move past it. "Acknowledge the hurt and its impact on you.

We can't forgive what we don't acknowledge," says Martin.