How To Forgive Someone for Cheating

It is difficult to stay in a relationship with someone who has cheated on you. Some people believe that being physically intimate with someone other than the spouse, fiancée/fiancé, or a romantic partner is cheating. However, emotional intimacy outside of marriage or a serious romantic relationship is also considered to be cheating for many people.

The decision to forgive your partner or to end the relationship because of his/her infidelity depends upon you. You may consider the pros and cons of being in a relationship with your partner. If the pros outweigh the cons, then it is beneficial to learn how to forgive someone for cheating.

Is it possible to rebuild a life with your cheating partner?

You must ask yourself if your partner is someone who deserves forgiveness. You may work on the relationship if you can envision building a life with your partner despite their infidelity. Infidelity may be seen as an impediment on the road that you plan to walk on with your partner.

In this scenario, you both must work on the relationship after forgiving your partner. However, it is difficult to build a relationship with someone you cannot trust. You must ensure that your partner is as committed to the relationship as you are.

Should you forgive a cheating partner? 3 things to consider

1. Assess how you feel

You may feel angry, anxious, sad, or depressed due to the betrayal of your partner. It is essential to face your emotions instead of burying them even though this is a difficult task. You must accept what happened and move forward if you want to forgive your partner.

2. Analyze and establish your expectations from your partner

Your perception of the relationship may change after being deceived by your partner. Thus, you must think about what you can or cannot forgive, tolerate, or expect from your partner.

3. Analyze the impact on your family

If you have kids, then you must think about the consequence of your decision on the family. You may want to forgive your spouse to protect the children from the emotional turmoil that kids often experience after their parents’ separation or divorce. However, staying in a relationship because of your kids’ benefit may affect your mental health in the future.

It is important to find out the reason behind your partner’s infidelity if you want to rebuild a relationship. Your partner may cheat on you due to –

• Emotional disconnection
• Lack of physical intimacy
• Feeling bored in a relationship due to loss of romance, passion, or thrill
• Mismatch in sex drive
• Loneliness resulting from loss of or lack of communication

1. Accept your emotional and mental state

It takes time to forgive someone who cheated on you especially if you love them. Thus, you must be kind to yourself and acknowledge how you feel (anger, hatred, sadness, or frustration) about your partner’s actions.

2. Express yourself

You must vent out your emotions if you want to be in a relationship with someone who cheated on you. However, be mature about the way to express your feelings. To release the anger or lower the overwhelming feelings of sadness, you may shout in an empty room, scream into a pillow, punch a sandbag, or cry your eyes out. Nonetheless, it is important to talk to a friend about your feelings if he/she is not judgmental. You may even consult with a counselor to learn the right way to process your feelings and find a perspective.

3. Give yourself and your partner some space

You can re-evaluate your feelings for the relationship when you give some space to your partner and yourself. You may stay away from your partner for a few months to find out if you miss their company. Thus, you can find out if you still want to be in a relationship.

4. Consider taking a break before deciding

You can reflect upon your feelings when taking a break and spending some time alone. It allows you to process the situation as well as your feelings about your partner. Thus, you can make a judicious decision after having some clarity about your feelings.

Moving forward: Advice for maintaining healthy relationships

1. Work on your relationship with yourself

It is essential to take care of your mental health if you want to rebuild your relationship with your partner. You may question your self-worth because of your partner’s emotional and/or physical attachment to another person. It may even injure your self-respect. In this scenario, it’s essential to concentrate on your mental health. You may consult with a counselor who can show you the right way to process your emotions and regain trust in yourself.

2. Focus on effective communication

It is hard to be in a relationship when you cannot share your feelings with your partner. Open communication is crucial for a healthy relationship due to this reason. Thus, learn about your and your partner’s expectations from a relationship. You and your partner may consult with a relationship therapist if you need an expert’s help in communicating effectively.

Conclusion

Forgiveness is a sign of strength, not weakness. However, forgiving someone who has broken your trust is extremely difficult. You may feel emotionally wrecked. However, it’s possible to forgive your partner if he/she is remorseful about their actions and is willing to work on the relationship.

In this scenario, you and your partner must communicate with each other about your feelings and must learn about your expectations from the relationship. You can learn how to forgive someone for cheating after consulting with a relationship therapist achieving emotional healing and rebuilding the trust between you and your partner.