Kiss and Make Up Day – seven reasons to bury the hatchet

Today is the official Kiss and Make Up Day, so whether you've had a fight with your boyfriend, or your friend, or even your mam, it's time to bury the hatchet. And here's why:

Life is too short
Is what you're fighting about really important in the grand scheme of things? If it's not, then it's time to let go of the grudge. In five years time you probably won't even remember what the fight was about, so you may as well forget about it and make the most of the time you have with that person!

It shows how strong you really are
In the words of Ghandi: "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Forgiving someone when they've really hurt you isn't easy to do, but being able to overcome that hurt and forgive shows true strength of character.

It's good for YOU
The act of forgiveness is as good for you as it is for the person you're forgiving. Carrying around anger isn't good, so try and find a way to make things ok again, so that you can have some peace of mind.

They probably didn't mean to hurt you
Most people don't set out with the intention to hurt someone they love, so try and see things from their perspective. Accidents happen, and if you hold onto resentment over every single one, it's going to affect your own happiness.

Because they've taught you something, and that's good
If someone did something to you that is inexcusable, then perhaps you're better off. Forgive, but don't forget. Put it down as a lesson learned – perhaps they've saved you from getting hurt even worse in the future.

Because we all mess up
We all look for forgiveness at some point in life, so we should be able to return the favour when needs be. Imagine no one ever forgave anyone for the times they've messed up – we'd have hardly any friends left!

Because it shows you've moved on
If your ex cheated or did something really wrong which caused the end of your relationship, being able to forgive them tells them that you have well and truly moved on. It'll also tell them that they're not occupying all your thoughts anymore, which is almost the best kind of revenge. Not that we’d advocate revenge, but, it does feel pretty good!