Discovering that your girlfriend is cheating on you can be a truly harrowing experience that leaves you feeling worthless, inadequate, and with feelings that you are not a real man. You will be angry and may want revenge, and at the beginning, the last thing you will want to do is forgive. However, as the initial shock fades you will learn to take stock and see the situation for what it really is. Maybe your actions drove her to cheat or maybe external factors like children or work contributed to it. Whatever your feelings, the big question is: should I forgive my girlfriend for cheating? Here we will take a look at the positive side to forgiveness and the reasons for it, which will hopefully lead you to the right decision should you find yourself in this horrible situation.
Understand what forgiveness means
Understanding what you expect from forgiveness is key to being able to forgive. Forgetting about infidelity is not forgiveness, you have to cease all forms of resentment against your cheating girlfriend to move on. Forgiveness is part of the journey of moving on with your life and it is the wronged person that has to make this move for the sake of their mental health. You may still feel humiliated, but if you have decided to try and forgive then you have to forget these negative thoughts and start afresh.
To help with positivity
Do you really want to be an angry person for the rest of your life? If you become this person then you will find it will affect other aspects of your life such as work and other personal relationships. Remember some useful advice a man much wiser than me once gave: we are only here once and there are far better things to be thinking about than constant anger and resentment. Once you decide to forgive then it will allow your mind to clear and you will suddenly have a positive mental approach to life which will change your whole sense of being for the better. Fill your mind with positive thoughts for the future and you will find yourself well on the road to forgiveness and a happier relationship.
To regain trust
As we discussed, forgiveness is all about the wronged party, and without forgiveness, there is no way you can regain trust in a relationship, and trust is paramount if the union is to succeed in the future. You do not want resentment in your life or this may cause you to change the way you behave, and why let a cheating partner do that to you? You are your own person. So, by learning to forgive you can rebuild trust in a relationship and you will be less likely to seek revenge by cheating yourself.
For your health
We touched on the positive mental benefits of forgiveness earlier, but there are also many other health benefits. If we carry on with the mental health theme, if you allow your mind to forgive it will remove all depressive thoughts and you will have less anxiety and stress as you won’t be constantly worrying about what she has done. On the physiological side, the lack of stress will lower your blood pressure which puts you at a decreased risk of further disease. Your immune system will be given a boost by your newly found sense of self-worth and esteem, and you will project a sense of well being to those around you.
For freedom
Forgiveness quite simply gives you freedom and this can be a wonderful sensation. All the weight you have been carrying on your shoulders since you found out about the infidelity will suddenly be lifted. You will walk around with a spring in your step. No longer will you get dragged down by thinking about the past, you will only be focused on the future and the life that you can rebuild for the better.
Deciding to forgive a cheating partner or spouse is incredibly difficult, however, once you have made the decision to do so the benefits are myriad, and that doesn’t even include the new relationship you will develop. You will be able to trust someone again which means you will be less likely to be seeking revenge. You will have an infectious positive attitude that can inspire those around you and best of all your overall health and well being will improve markedly as you take the stress out of your life allowing your body to recuperate. Best of all, though, you will allow your mind to be free. If you can allow it, let your heart forgive for everybody’s sake.