Growing up, we were taught to remove our shoes and boots before coming into the house. Who knows what we'd be dragging in on the bottom of our soles?

Resentments are like those things on the bottom of your shoes. You can't always see what's there, but there's a good chance that something malodorous or unpleasant is being tracked into your living space. However, unlike heavy mud that is stuck to the bottom of your shoes, you can't always see what is weighing you down.

Are you able to leave your resentments at the double doors of your workplace or outside the door of your home before you reach the welcome mat?

Do you question why it matters? Or if you do know, do you struggle to remove those resentments like a too-tight pair of boots?

Since the way you think and feel affects your stress levels, harbouring resentments hurts you. Over time, these resentments expand like bread rising in the warmth of your oven, except "warmth" isn't a word you'd usually associate with the word "resentment". Fed by your imagination and indignation, resentments become a part of you.

When you address and undress your stress, resentments evaporate. That begins to free up an incredible amount of energy. Lugging around resentments is heavy work - it drags you down, dampens your spirit. It keeps you locked in stress. However, the more your body is in balance, the more you begin to realize what is truly important to you.

I had a lifetime worth of resentment built up against my dad for his alcoholism. I knew that I had to forgive him, but never seemed to achieve it until I regularly began to undress my stress. I awoke one morning to discover that I didn't feel that same tight wad of anger against him; it had just melted away, seemingly without any effort - apart from regularly doing my stress techniques. They are now as natural for me as breathing.

The Mayo Clinic encourages forgiveness or the letting go of resentments. The benefits include healthier relationships, lower incidence of addiction, and fewer symptoms of depression.

Your heart is the essence of who you are. Not only does it keep you alive, but it adds depth and breadth to your life. You have the power to effect a change within you.

Recall. Feel. See.

• Recall something, someone or someplace that makes your heart sing.
• Get out of your head, and feel that memory.
• See how your heart rhythms change.

I sell technology that allows you to see how your thoughts and emotions affect your heart. Contact me for more information.