“Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.”

By William Arthur Ward – author and regular contributor to the Reader’s Digest.  A member of ‘Who’s Who in American Education”, “Who’s who in Public Relations”, and “Who’s Who in the South and Southwest.  William was the Assistant to the President of Texas Wesleyan College, and is one of America’s most quoted writers of inspirational maxims. 

“Like other negative emotions — stress and depression among them — bitterness has physical consequences: high blood pressure, elevated heart rate, increased risk of heart disease. The longer you hold a grudge, the more likely your negative emotions will take a toll on your heart and your health.

“The data that negative mental states cause heart problems is just stupendous,” Dr. Charles Raison, associate professor of psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine, told CNN. “The data is just as established as smoking, and the size of the effect is the same.”  From TIME Health and Family

FIVE WAYS TO LET GO OF A GRUDGE:

•Vent to a friend about what’s bothering you

•Remember that you’re not the only person in the world who’s ever been wronged

•Consider confronting the person who injured you

•Realize you’re only hurting yourself by holding a grudge

•Try to see things from the other person’s point of view

 Read more: 5 Ways to Let Go of a Grudge | TIME.com http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/18/5-ways-to-let-go-of-a-grudge/#ixzz2qJQQEVTU

 Prepared by Tonia Watson