When we talk of forgiveness, a person’s hurtful acts or words cause us pain. Yet we find it okay and forgive them. This is, of course, the right course of action when the person apologizes and acknowledges their wrongs. But when you change the subject to yourself, forgiveness seems like a hike to hell. You start second-guessing your decisions and start suffering in silence.

Forgiving yourself for a bad decision made in the heat of emotions is a hard path. This already rocky road is made further difficult by the constant societal scrutiny around you. One bad choice could potentially stain your entire character. This causes you to face problems beyond your house and into society and workplaces. Getting accepted by society is what keeps every person’s boat floating. Now while you don’t necessarily need to be accepted by others to feel good about yourself, there are simple ways to re-establish normal relations with those around you. 

One simple approach to this case is to have the necessary apologetic behavior towards your action. It’s not like we won’t have remorse, but expressing it in favorable situations will count more to redeem your public image. This can be done by addressing the situation to the person you might have wronged and apologizing heartily. Or the problem could be different, and you can fix it, in which case you should give it your best to do that. This presents clearly that your actions were a mistake and that you have acknowledged and learned from them. 

A human is imperfect. The reminder that we can make mistakes humbles us and allow us to move past them. Everyone realizes this, and you won’t have to live down your mistakes for the entirety of your life. Not following this pattern shows that it’s hard for you to grasp your imperfection. Everyone is afraid of shortcomings, and mistakes point them out in the bright of day. However hard, it is crucial to accept this fact because acting out of stubbornness goes two ways. You will become arrogant and deny making mistakes, or you will hold yourself in contempt. And holding contempt for yourself will never turn out well for your mental stability. 

Either way, no one will feed your self-pity for long; you’ll be left dealing with it alone. Left alone with such thoughts is the most destructive it can get for you, which is why the continuous emphasis is on the daunting but definite process of accepting your mistake and forgiving yourself for it. 

Once you have truly moved past a mistake made and let bygones be bygones, you will soon find that you are still whole. Your dignity stays intact, and you become more lively. Functioning in society will get easier for you, as you won’t find yourself keeping yourself in check. Your insecurities will pass. And all you have to start with is forgiveness.