growth mindset

Forgive and Flourish: The Healing Power of Letting Go

Forgive and Flourish: The Healing Power of Letting Go

Hey there! We’ve all been hurt before, right?  Whether it’s a friend who let us down, a family member who said something hurtful, or even something we did that we just can’t seem to forgive ourselves for. Holding onto these feelings slowly begins to weigh us down, and before we realize it, we are being crushed. Unforgiveness, specifically holding onto negative emotions towards our transgressor, has been considered less important for overall positive mental health and well-being in recent years (Singh et al., 2023). Why is this the case? Have we as a society determined that forgiveness does not play a crucial role in our overall mental health and well-being? Or is it possible that we may not fully understand forgiveness and its healing power? According to the American Psychological Association (APA), forgiveness is “willfully putting aside feelings of resentment toward someone who has committed a wrong, been unfair or hurtful, or otherwise harmed you in some way” (American Psychological Association). The interesting key to this definition lies in the use of the word “willfully.” Forgiveness is not merely accepting what happened or not being angry, it is a conscious decision that we all must make to put aside our feelings and learn to let go. Saying “I forgive you” to someone is all well and good but does it truly provide the relief we need

Using Propinquity to Enhance our Richness and Diversity of Life

Using Propinquity to Enhance our Richness and Diversity of Life

All over the world, there are opportunities to engage with others closely through work opportunities, volunteer efforts, friendships, relationships, and schooling. Imagine finding yourself living your day-to-day life with someone you know, but don’t know well. For many, this occurs when roommates are assigned, missionaries go out “two by two,” or a new neighbor moves in next door and starts hosting block parties. But what emerges from these events? Do friendships form?

What is it that causes friendships to form between two strangers? 

 

Habits: Who Can I Become?

Habits: Who Can I Become?

Our lives are the result of many small habits we perform day after day, some good and some bad. Most of our habits have become so ingrained in who we are, we don’t even think about them anymore. All throughout our day, our productivity, health, and happiness (or lack thereof) are largely due to our habits. For most of us, the good habits outnumber the bad, which helps us to lead productive, satisfying lives. But what if we’ve gotten in a funk or are feeling overwhelmed or just don’t feel as happy as we want to? What if we want to be someone different, but we just can’t figure out how to do it? Day after day, we set goals and find ourselves never achieving them; our old habits are stifling whom we know we have the potential to become.