These studies show us the cost of not forgiving others can be physically taxing on us. It seems like the world appeared more daunting to our participants who had recalled an incident where they had not forgiven their perpetrator.

While research indicates that training in forgiveness can actually bring about improvements in both well-being and health, actually forgiving can be easier said than done. If forgiveness is something you want to practice, try one of these strategies.

Most of us think of forgiveness as a gift that we give to another person. But first and foremost, forgiveness is a gift we give to ourselves.

Although forgiving someone (or ourselves) can happen in an instant, my experience is that it is usually a much more lengthy process requiring great patience, trust, persistence and prayer -- more like peeling an onion or a lotus blossoming than a lightning bolt.

Do you find it easy to forgive people who have hurt or abused you in some way? I didn't until I started to understand that I was hurting myself more by maintaining a tight knot of resentment and anger toward the people who had wronged me.

Look at your own life and remember times when you've cheated, lied or done something wrong on whatever level. How did it make you feel, regardless of how small the incident?

It's easy to feed the fearful, angry wolf. Especially if we've experienced great wounding, the anger pathway can become deeply ingrained in our system. Yet, we do have a choice.

We must learn to forgive, not just for ourselves, but because we influence the rest of the world, including our loved ones and families. Forgiveness is deeply healing. It allows us to live free in the present moment.

Sitting there at the kitchen table covered with coffee cups and an ashtray full of cigarette butts, I began to slowly comprehend that working on my problems wasn't the same as healing them. "You didn't forgive him." Those four words changed my life.

We are deeply imprinted by the suffering we have caused others. In the Buddhist teachings, such sensitivity can be intelligent and healthy -- it plays an important role in awakening and freeing our hearts.

One of life's most difficult situations is when someone you love is no longer present in your life due to disagreements, especially during the holidays.

It takes more energy to be angry with someone than it does to be peaceful, yet people hold on to grudges for months, years, and even decades. The reason is simple: It protects them.

Fundamentally, forgiveness frees you from the tangles of anger and retribution, and from preoccupations with the past or with the running case in your mind about the person with whom you're angry.

Forgiveness means giving up the suffering of the past and being willing to forge ahead with far greater potential for inner freedom. Besides the reward of letting go of a painful past, there are powerful health benefits that go hand-in-hand with the practice of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is for YOU. It's your liberation from the relentless re-experiencing of a hurt. It releases you from the gnawing feeling of ick you feel inside each time you hear the person's name or see their face.

I had something happen that I think will change me forever, and I felt compelled to share it with you even though it is pretty personal.

If you have ever trampled all over someone, either intentionally or unintentionally, and later regretted your actions, then perhaps you understand the value of forgiveness.