4 People You Need to Forgive Before the New Year

Here’s how letting go of grudges with four kinds of people in your life can help you evolve, heal, and feel more free in 2025.

Forgiveness can feel like one of the hardest tasks of personal growth, but in the hustle and chaos of a new year, it’s a crucial step toward leveling up. When you forgive others (and yourself), you’re not excusing bad behavior—you’re freeing up emotional bandwidth to pursue the life you want. To let go of what doesn't serve you anymore. For 2025, consider forgiveness as a tool of self-liberation. Here’s a look at four people in your life you need to forgive for true growth: your parents, your exes, those who’ve wronged you, and the most important one—you.

Your Parents

Parents, whether you love them or not, shape how you see the world and how you move through it. But often, they also shape your expectations of yourself. The truth is, no one’s parents are perfect. Whether you’ve been disappointed by their lack of support, their expectations of who you should be, or their inability to understand your dreams or who you are, carrying that resentment into adulthood can keep you stuck.

Forgiveness in this case isn’t about them—it’s about you. It’s about releasing the grip their past mistakes have on your present. Once you let go of the resentment or expectation that they’ll change, you can build healthier boundaries, stronger self-worth, and a more forgiving relationship with yourself. This isn’t about condoning poor behavior or not standing up for yourself; it’s about making room for your own growth, unburdened by a past that isn’t serving you.

Your Past Relationships

Whether your past relationships ended in betrayal, heartbreak, or simply faded out over time, holding on to the anger or sadness from them can prevent you from truly healing. Exes are often the easiest people to blame for the pain you’re carrying, but if you’re still angry years after a breakup, that’s not letting you grow and move on.

Forgiving an ex doesn’t mean you’re excusing their behavior or wishing things had worked out differently. It’s about acknowledging the lessons learned, the growth you’ve experienced, and letting go of the emotional baggage. When you forgive, you free yourself to welcome new relationships without the fear or bitterness from the past holding you back. Letting go of resentment toward an ex means reclaiming your right to happiness, without dragging old wounds into your new year or the potential of a new connection.

Those Who’ve Done You Wrong

We all have that one person (or group of people) who’ve wronged us in ways we’ve never fully healed from. Simply put, these are your "haters." Whether it’s a betrayal from a friend, a colleague who sabotaged you, or someone who took advantage of your trust, the pain can run deep. But holding onto that grudge isn’t helping you move forward; it’s only anchoring you to the past.

Forgiving someone who’s hurt you deeply isn’t for their benefit—it’s for yours. It allows you to take back control over your emotional state and stop letting someone else’s actions dictate how you feel. Consider how much emotional space you’re giving to people who don’t deserve your energy. When you forgive, you take back your story and create space for new, healthier connections.

Yourself

Out of all the people on this list, the one you need to forgive the most is yourself. Self-forgiveness is often the hardest, especially when you’ve made mistakes, hurt others, or failed to live up to your own expectations. But holding onto guilt, shame, or regret keeps you in a cycle of self-punishment that no longer serves your growth. It's time you cut yourself some slack.

For me, the best way to frame any memory that brings shame or regret is to remind myself, "I did my best with what I knew and had at the time."

Forgiveness toward yourself is an act of self-compassion. It’s not about ignoring your mistakes, but rather recognizing that you’re human. We all slip up. We all have moments we wish we could redo. The key to self-forgiveness is accepting that you’re allowed to be imperfect and that your worth doesn’t depend on past failures. Once you let go of self-judgment, you open yourself to new opportunities and experiences without the weight of shame holding you back. Growth starts with the permission to be human—and that starts with forgiveness.