Forgiveness benefits your health at the workplace

Did you know holding a grudge does more harm than good? Studies have shown forgiving someone has health benefits, such as lowering the risk of a heart attack; improving cholesterol levels and sleep; and reducing pain, blood pressure, and levels of anxiety, depression, and stress.

Though the act of forgiving is not always easy, especially at the workplace, Warehouse Direct has two tips on how you can approach a co-worker who has wronged you. Whether they took the good office chair, the last of the coffee without brewing more, or borrowed your beloved stapler and never returned it, we have you covered to bring peace of mind during your 9-5:

1. Be real with yourself, first.

Forgiveness is not a protocol to follow but should be one that you actually want to do emotionally. Health benefits of forgiveness are linked to from an emotional level rather than a logical decision. When you forgive your co-worker, be sure you are forgiving them without an expectation in return, even if you wouldn't mind them returning the pen they borrowed.

2. Make Forgiveness a Workplace Habit

Forgiveness is an exercise that needs to be practiced frequently to get it right. If you want to see longterm results of forgiveness, try these simple steps daily to reduce stress at your workplace:

• Bring to mind a person who offended or hurt you. Think about why the situation brought you stress and hurt at the workplace, rather than why the person made the action.
• Once you have come to terms with your feelings and validate them, bring awareness to the fact this event was in the past. There is nothing you can do now to change what happened, but you can make a change in how you address it in the future.
• Take the experience as a lesson and learn how you can address it better in the future. Also, remember how this person made you feel and that you wouldn't want to repeat their mistake on to others at your workplace.
• Commit to moving forward today. If you are ready to, devise a plan on how to fully forgive the person who has wronged you.

Try this today before you go to sleep - You will wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day at your workplace!