Bangalore: Letting go of grudge and forgiving past wrongs done may be the best way to improve interpersonal relationships. But, all too often we harbour grudge and let past impressions cloud our attitudes towards another person.

"In both business and social or family relationships, forgiving wrongs, real or imagined, is one way of moving forward. Even if a wrong has been done to you, if the other person accepts that and seeks to make amends, accept the apology graciously,'' says psycho therapist Sunanda Murthy.

Admitting mistakes

In the business world, missed deadlines or delayed delivery of consignments are all common. All these may cause problems, but the other party should be given the opportunity to explain what went wrong and set things right. The cause of righteous anger and cancelling orders comes only if the other side is not willing to correct a mistake. "Those harbouring grudge for long are inviting physical and emotional problems. I have come across patients who could not forget a wrong done by a close relative or friend and worked themselves up to extremes of anger and self-pity. Chronic indigestion, insomnia and depression were the results,'' says Dr. Murthy.

Once people learn to forget and forgive, the response from the person who committed the perceived mistake will become more positive.

By forgiving, you allow the strained relationship to get back to a normal state, she adds.

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