Still steamed at your dad for tossing your tadpole down the toilet when you were 10? Miffed at your best friend for spilling the beans?

Whatever’s got you feeling slighted, it might be time to forgive, if not forget. You see, holding onto resentment may cause more than relationship tension. Your heart health suffers, too.

Some injustices are hard to let go of. You’ll have to be the judge of which ones you’re able to move past and which ones you just can’t. But keep in mind that not letting go may do extra damage.

For example, college students’ blood pressures rose when they described a time that a parent or friend deeply hurt or betrayed them. And for the students who were unable to forgive, it took longer for their blood pressures to return to normal.

When your cardiovascular system has trouble stabilizing after stress, be it physical or emotional, that’s bad news for your heart. It could mean high blood pressure or heart disease — or a trip to one of our hospitals’ catheterization laboratories — is in your future.

 No need to make us busier. (We need all the time we can get to write these columns!)So, what to do to keep our free time free (if you don’t care for yourself, at least care for our free time!)?

· First, do whatever it takes for you to stress less.
· Second, get fit. Fit people’s heart rates return to normal more quickly.
· Third, forgive someone. Not only is it good for the heart, people who let go of a grudge may experience less pain, anger, anxiety, and depression than people who are unable to forgive.
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Forgiving does not mean condoning actions or situations that have caused you distress or pain. It just means resolving your feelings and not letting upsetting experiences affect your emotional and physical health.

Dr. Oz