Hurt does not just live in memories.
It lives in your jaw, your shoulders, your heartbeat.
When you replay what happened, your body often cannot tell the difference between then and now.
Stress circuits fire.
Your chest tightens.
The story loops again.
Forgiveness is not saying “It was fine.”
It is not inviting harmful people back in.
It is not forgetting.
Forgiveness is a path back to your own nervous system.
It is slowly letting go of the grip that old pain has on your body.
To “embrace forgiveness as a path to healing” is to notice how much your anger is costing you on the inside.
The sleepless nights.
The way your stomach knots when their name appears.
The way your mood swings when the memory surfaces.
Letting go of grudges and bitterness is not a favor to them.
It is a quiet act of freedom for you.
You can still hold boundaries.
You can still say “what happened was not okay.”
And you can also decide you are done carrying the extra weight.