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Letting Go of Resentment | How to Let Go of the Past and Be Happy

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By: Mary Morrissey
Updated: March 2, 2023

If you’ve ever wondered how to forgive someone who hurt you, use this powerful practice to help you let go of resentment and move on in the best way possible– starting today!

How to let go of resentment and forgive someone who hurt you

Are you harboring negative feelings of bitterness, resentment, and anger toward someone that may have hurt you in the past?

If you’re ready to finally clear those negative emotions and built-up anger so that you can move on and start investing in your own happiness, this post can help you do exactly that!

Jump to:

  • Powerful forgiveness practice to replace resentment with love
  • How resentment is keeping you from living your best life
  • Next steps in letting go of resentment and finding forgiveness

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” –Nelson Mandela

When I was younger, I held onto plenty of resentful feelings toward several people from my past that I thought were very well deserved.

Some of the emotions were valid, normal responses to negative experiences I had at the time, but holding onto those emotions wasn’t serving me in the present moment. Some of the resentment and anger I was holding onto stemmed from old hurts that still felt unfair or unresolved.

And, like many of us, I was also guilty of hanging onto old feelings that I blamed on another person’s behavior, but that actually had more to do with my own decisions and responses at the time.

Then, I entered a spiritual path. I began studying transformational teachings, I went to seminary, and I received a Masters Degree in counseling psychology. At the time, the path I had chosen enabled me to work in the mental health field and counsel others, but, more importantly, it was also the catalyst to my own healing process.

As I continued to grow spiritually, I began to identify and release old resentments that had been holding me back from fully being my best self.

I knew there was still more work to do in my personal development if I wanted to truly let go of bitterness and create the happier life I was dreaming of.

The bad news was, my journey to forgiveness was going to take a very long time and a lot of hard work unless I had the right support.

The good news was, I had recently met and began working with my first mentor, Jack Boland.

Over the course of the work I did with Jack, he challenged me to look for any places inside of me that were still harboring feelings of resentment.

I’d done a lot of forgiveness work by this time, but there were still times when I’d think about a person or experience from my past and feel bitter feelings, resentment, or even victimhood rise up within me.

You may have heard the old saying that holding onto resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

I believe this is true! Whether it’s drinking poison or holding onto toxic feelings of anger, bitterness, and resentment, you only end up harming yourself.

I knew that if I wanted to create a life I truly loved and experience true emotional freedom, I needed to find a way to release these lingering resentments once and for all.

Free Forgiveness Meditation

Forgive the past, heal your heart and set yourself free in just 10 minutes

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My mentor shared a lesson with me that changed my life…

Jack told me a story from his own life: 

When he was about 30, he borrowed money from his father and invested everything he had into a business he started with his brother-in-law.

In this partnership, his brother-in-law managed the money while Jack was the salesperson. For the first nine months, business went well. But, Jack began receiving letters that some of the business’ bills weren’t being paid.

When he took a closer look at the company’s finances, Jack discovered that his partner had systematically taken all of the money out of the business for his own personal use, leaving the business bankrupt.

Understandably, Jack was devastated!

All the money he’d saved up in the decade since he’d graduated from college was now gone. The money his father had loaned him was also gone.

And of course, Jack felt betrayed by someone he believed was a trusted friend and family member, and who didn’t seem to be bothered by this state of affairs at all!

When Jack tried to have an honest conversation about what he’d found, his brother-in-law simply said, “I don’t know, the money’s gone. I can’t get it back. It is what it is.”

His brother-in-law then abandoned the business, leaving Jack to pick up the pieces.

Jack struggled with bitterness and resentment from the betrayal.

Thankfully, Jack didn’t go bankrupt. He systematically worked for three years to pay off all of the business’ debts, and he eventually moved to a new area of the country and started an entirely different career.

Even as he became increasingly successful speaking and teaching, he still carried resentment over what had happened in the past.

Every time he thought about his now-ex brother-in-law, even years later, he noticed that he felt resentful and frustrated. Jack likened it to feeling like he had a ball and chain around his leg.

By then, Jack had been teaching and helping other people to transform their lives, and he knew that to really take his work to the next level, he needed to clear his lingering resentment and let go of anger that still plagued him about what had been done to him.

Here’s the powerful forgiveness practice that Jack Boland used to let go of resentment and actually replace it with love…

Jack told me:

I’d had years and years of thinking angry, resentful, mean, bitter thoughts about my brother-in-law, and I didn’t know how to transform that.

Eventually, I found myself remarried and with a five-year-old son… and I just loved my little boy. Any time I would think of my son, my heart would open and I would feel this huge wave of love wash over me.

One day, an idea came to me. The next time I thought of my son and felt the build up of unconditional love for him, in my mind, I replaced the picture of my son with a picture of my brother-in-law.

Once I’d done this, I would say, “May you be happy and do well. I forgive you for everything that happened in the past. We were young. And whatever you did with that money, I really wish you well because that’s what I wish for myself and that’s what I wish for all people.”

Jack admitted that, initially, this exercise was not easy.

But over time and with a lot of repetition over the course of many months, it became easier and easier for him, until he got to a place where he actually did feel he’d let things go and genuinely wished his brother-in-law well.

How to use this forgiveness practice for yourself:

  1. Identify the people, events, or memories from the past (even the recent past!) that trigger feelings of resentment or bitterness in you.
  2. Record your list in a journal and set aside a few moments each day to  focus on one person or event at a time.
  3. Choose a space that is quiet and free from distractions, if possible. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and think about someone or something from your life right now that brings up feelings of great love, joy, and opens your heart.
  4. When the feelings of love and joy are at their highest, replace your original heart-opening image with a mental image of the person(s) from your past.
  5. Then, to the person(s) in the image, say, “May you be happy and do well. I forgive you for everything that happened in the past. I wish you the best, because that’s what I’d wish for myself and that’s what I wish for all people.”
  6. Take a few deep, calming breaths and open your eyes. Repeat as often as you’d like, until you notice the feelings of bitterness and resentment decreasing. Move through your list at your own pace.   

When Jack saw his brother-in-law for the first time in years, all the hard work he’d done with his new forgiveness practice was tested.

A few months after Jack first began his forgiveness practice, he found himself on a business trip back in the city where his first business had been based.

While on the way to his hotel, Jack pulled his rental car up to a red light and stopped. He happened to notice a beautiful convertible with the top down pulled up in the lane next to him.

“Wow, what a beautiful car,” Jack thought. Then, to his surprise, he noticed that the man behind the wheel was his former brother-in-law!

At that moment, Jack found himself thinking, “Wow, it looks like he’s doing really well. I’m happy for him.”

Gone were the feelings of anger and bitterness for this man who Jack had resented for so many years!

The light changed, and the two men drove on, and Jack thought, “Think of the timing. I got off the plane, went to the restroom at just the right time, got in this rental car at just the right time… everything worked out precisely so that I would be in this exact spot at this exact time.”

Holding on to a past resentment can stifle your opportunity to live your best life.

Just as Jack was able to release his bitterness and resentment and replace it with feelings of well wishes toward someone he felt had betrayed him, so can you.

By following this simple forgiveness practice, you too can set yourself free from the painful stories of your past and move forward, truly sharing your gifts with the world in powerful and meaningful ways.

Remember, choosing to practice forgiveness for the people and events from your past that are causing resentment in your life now doesn’t mean that your initial anger was invalid in any way. In fact, it’s important to remember that as human beings, having feelings like anger, frustration, sadness, hurt, and disappointment can be a very natural response to negative events. 

The emotions we often consider “negative” are a normal part of life! Forgiveness does not require you to pretend your true feelings don’t exist.

Forgiveness exercises that empower us to release toxic, long term emotions like the one Jack shared with me give us the opportunity to hold ourselves accountable for the feelings and emotions we allow to live unresolved within us. 

By doing so, we can take back our power by choosing to address unresolved, challenging circumstances in our lives in a healthy way and focusing on the thoughts we know will result in inner peace.

In Jack’s example, he was justified in his experience of anger and hurt at the events that occurred in the first place. He addressed the situation at hand in the best way he could with his brother-in-law and fulfilled the debts of their business responsibly; no additional action was needed to resolve the situation on his part.

But, Jack realized that his initial anger and hurt had festered into resentment and bitterness.

While emotions like anger, sadness, and hurt are primary emotions and can be part of a healthy response to something that you experience in the present moment, resentment and bitterness are second-hand emotions. 

Second-hand emotions rarely, if ever, have anything to do with the present moment. The cause of resentment almost always lies in past traumas, a past transgression, or a build up of hurts and wrongs, either real or perceived.

The hard truth is this- you are the only person that can free yourself from resentment and bitterness.

Take the next steps on your journey to let go of resentment and find forgiveness and happiness.

In addition to the exercise I shared with you in this blog post, there are many effective ways to lessen the resentment and bitterness you might feel, including:

  • Practice gratitude: Intentionally practicing gratitude, even for the small things, is a great way to increase positive emotions and stay in the present moment
  • Relaxation techniques: Like breathwork and meditation can help lessen negative emotions, lower stress levels, and help you interrupt the pattern of negative thoughts that can come when we experience resentment
  • Healthy distraction: Activities like physical exercise, hobbies, and opportunities to learn can help us spend less time ruminating on past events and provide meaningful opportunities to invest in our present lives
  • Focus on the big picture: Often, the events that we hold resentment over are small compared to our potential. Your future holds genuinely good things for you, why sacrifice them to focus on something that happened in the past?

And if you’ve been holding on to pain, anger or resentment from the past, and you’d like help letting it go, I’ve created a free guided audio meditation just for you! 

Download and listen to this meditation to help you begin to experience forgiveness for those you feel have hurt you. It’s time to free yourself from the past and more fully experience all of the love, connection, happiness and peace of mind you desire now.

Download your free Power of Forgiveness guided audio meditation here.

Power of forgiveness blog

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About Mary Morrissey

Mary Morrissey

Mary Morrissey is widely considered the world’s foremost expert on “dream-building,” having invested the last 40 years into studying the art and science of transforming dreams into results. Mary has also written two best-selling books, addressed the United Nations three times, co-convened three week-long meetings with His Holiness The Dalai Lama, and met with President Nelson Mandela in South Africa. Through her books, live events and programs, Mary has helped empower millions of people worldwide to achieve new heights of meaning, purpose, aliveness and authentic success.

Learn More About Mary Morrissey

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Comments

  1. Doreen Berlinguette

    March 15, 2022 at 10:19 pm

    Thank you, Mary for your wisdom in knowing what we need is to live in love to be free from resentment and bitterness. It’s easy for me to forgive the ones I love and real hard sometimes to even look at people who I still allow to “push my buttons”. I am working on this through prayer, self talk and making an effort to at least try to be civil with them.

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 16, 2022 at 12:23 pm

      Thank you for sharing from your heart, Doreen! It’s all about baby steps. You are on the right path!

      Reply
  2. Tracy

    March 10, 2022 at 5:02 pm

    I love the tangible and practical approach with this illustration. Thank you so much Mary. I will begin to put this practice in place to let go of some resentment baggage I have held on to, nurtured and owned, feeling I was justified to do so. I am ready to let go of it and now I have the tool to use to help me. Deepest appreciation to you.

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 12, 2022 at 12:55 am

      It’s our pleasure, Tracy! We are thrilled that you’re ready for expanded freedom in your life. Keep thinking bravely and acting boldly!

      Reply
  3. Janice Sears

    March 10, 2022 at 1:41 am

    I love this. I believe this will add to my forgiveness practice immensely. I am currently using Catherine Ponder’s forgiveness affirmations daily and whenever I become aware of any resentment I am holding and this will definitely add to the liberating results. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 11, 2022 at 7:38 pm

      Way to go and way to listen, Janice! We are so thrilled for your new level of freedom!

      Reply
  4. Mary Ramos

    March 6, 2022 at 4:17 am

    Mary, that is amazing Information!!!
    I wish I had known that many years ago. I am 85 years old my life is great, but I struggle with resentment for many many rears.
    Thank you for sharing.
    God bless you Marry.

    Mary Ramos

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 7, 2022 at 3:29 pm

      It’s never too late or even late, Mary. It’s the right time for you. We recommend this post: https://www.bravethinkinginstitute.com/blog/life-transformation/live-with-no-regrets. Stay blessed, Mary!

      Reply
  5. Bren

    March 4, 2022 at 7:49 pm

    Listening to Mary again has helped me put into motion that I have to forgive those who have wronged me. Those who project on me their own insecurities. I truly wish them well. I need to say this more often than not.

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 7, 2022 at 3:27 pm

      Congratulations, Bren. This is amazing news! Way to go a Brave Thinker!

      Reply
  6. Diarmid Campbell

    March 4, 2022 at 9:21 am

    Thank you Mary for sharing your friend and mentor’s experience. I thought of a man whom I resented for years for being – as I thought – rude to me because he didn’t appreciate that I came from a different culture and was trying to be polite – and he gave me hell for it. I was afraid of him and so never talked it through with him although we worked for the same outfit.
    I’ve not thought of him often in recent years – he may have moved on – but I just saw that despite that, I should let him go – and I have. If I saw him now I could with him well and easily.
    Bless you and thank you.

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 4, 2022 at 2:54 pm

      Thank you so much for sharing your story, Diarmid. We are proud of your new Brave Thinking!

      Reply
  7. Shona Elaine Little

    March 4, 2022 at 1:57 am

    I paid for the audio meditations then went to reg for the workshop then the page went error and I could not get back so now I have paid and got nothing

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 4, 2022 at 3:01 pm

      Thank you for letting us know, Shona! One of our Customer Care representatives is reaching out to you shortly via email to make sure you are able to access the meditations. We know you will enjoy them and look forward to hearing about your results! Have a Brave day, Shona!

      Reply
  8. kadin mckay

    March 3, 2022 at 9:23 pm

    that was beautiful mary thankyou /i will continue to follow you and your inspiring wisdom , you have a big heart god bless you xxx

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 4, 2022 at 2:54 pm

      We are sending you blessings, too, Kadin!

      Reply
  9. Gayle C.

    March 3, 2022 at 7:21 pm

    This sounds so simple, so logical, but so hard to put into practice, to wish someone well, no strings attached when you’ve been so betrayed, A coincidence maybe it showed up here today, as i’m aware i have such feelings of resentment and betrayal to someone I trusted.
    But, I am going to give this an honest effort as I know anything is possible and what Ive been doing so far clearly has not worked.

    Thank you for sharing this little pearl. I will give it a positive effort and do it.. Gayle

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 4, 2022 at 2:55 pm

      We believe in you, Gayle! It’s our pleasure to help!

      Reply
  10. Melissa Clarke

    March 3, 2022 at 4:40 pm

    It seems to me that it might really take time to get to this point of wishing an abuser well. If they are continuing to abuse you on a regular daily basis, there’s a need to get that distance first.

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 4, 2022 at 2:58 pm

      Melissa, thank you for sharing! We trust that you are the highest authority in your life and encourage you to follow your intuition, your pace, and sense of safety. Sending you love!

      Reply
  11. Reena Chatterjee

    March 3, 2022 at 4:01 pm

    It’s hard to forgive but stress kills. So it better to let it go!

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 4, 2022 at 2:59 pm

      We agree, Reena! Have a Brave day!

      Reply
  12. Reena Chatterjee

    March 3, 2022 at 3:32 pm

    Really got inspired and motivated by reading your article.Thank You.

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 4, 2022 at 2:59 pm

      We are happy to hear that, Reena!

      Reply
  13. Franklin Bernard Fortier

    March 3, 2022 at 3:19 pm

    Thank you for sharing this one Mary, holding on to resentment seems so natural and at times we perceive gratifying. However the cost of progress is not worth the perceived luxury of resentment.

    Thanks,

    Franklin

    Reply
    • Brave Thinking Institute

      March 4, 2022 at 2:59 pm

      That’s very insightful, Franklin. Stay tuned for more!

      Reply
  14. Ricki McKenna

    August 3, 2018 at 7:34 pm

    Thank you Mary for all of your work. Forgiving myself if what this opened for me.

    Reply
  15. Diane

    September 5, 2017 at 2:24 pm

    Thanks Mary–I thought I had been doing much better at letting go of resentment (jealous of what others were achieving, thinking I had not been given a “fair” shake at work, etc.) but this weekend, it all came back and I was in a terrible place emotionally. Then, I had the opportunity to help a friend and the same thing that Jack experienced happened to me. I found myself letting go of the jealousy, the resentment and the emotional baggage that was keeping me from being who I really am–compassionate and loving. This is a wonderful story!

    Reply
  16. Akomaye Peters Benson

    September 2, 2017 at 1:16 pm

    Good video

    I had a similar situation just months ago and I’m sure this is the video I was waiting for.

    Thank you Mary.

    Reply
  17. Diane Achatz

    September 1, 2017 at 1:06 pm

    Mary, you are truly a guiding light! Thank you for sharing your remarkable gifts with the world!

    Reply
  18. Cheptiony Mutai

    September 1, 2017 at 8:12 am

    Thanks for sharing the video. Over time I have learnt that the people around me had been contributing to me holding resentment and as a result, I have found myself in the same place over and over again. Having this awareness have helped me filter the network/relationships I have and end up with a clear mind on how I approach forgiveness and let those around of my stand. Avoiding people who loves talking of the problem over and over without giving solution has helped me change for the good.

    Reply
  19. Lynda

    September 1, 2017 at 3:23 am

    Yes I thought that story was sense of personal growth we may all endure if we are prepared to let go painful, hurtful, emotional past circumstances. As I have matured, aged and experienced life with family, children, friends, co-workers and others, I have realised I allowed myself to create my own reality. I had need, desire, yearning and purpose for these life lessons I was meant to learn, understand, comprehend and discover real meaning of life for myself. These lessons made me stronger, wiser, compassionate, loving lady now close to 60 making me the woman I am today.

    Reply
  20. Usha

    September 1, 2017 at 1:53 am

    The lesson for all of us from this is that carrying resentment around is a greater price to pay than letting it all go.we can use that energy to fuel us to greater things.

    Reply
  21. Joseph

    August 31, 2017 at 2:04 pm

    Herein lies one of the solutions to the myriad of calamities facing America today. Much appreciation for sharing these valuable ‘gems of wisdom’ ….NAMASTE !

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Is My Relationship Over? Or Does It Just Need Work? | Mary Morrissey says:
    August 8, 2018 at 2:25 pm

    […] doing so out of an emotionally-centered place within you. There’s no anger, there’s no resentment and there’s no […]

    Reply
  2. How to Get Closure With Someone Who Let You Down | Mary Morrissey says:
    July 23, 2018 at 10:01 pm

    […] As I began to study transformational principles more deeply, I realized that trading a painful story for a more empowering, uplifting and inspiring one was a much more effective way to heal and release pain from the past. […]

    Reply
  3. 3 Simple But Powerful Steps for Solving Any Problem Like Einstein | Mary Morrissey says:
    July 12, 2018 at 8:49 pm

    […] As you sit and think about the argument after the fact, you feel misunderstood, wronged and perhaps even resentful. […]

    Reply

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