'self-forgiving' originates from the combination of 'self' and 'forgiving', where 'self' refers to one's own person and 'forgiving' means to pardon or excuse.

'self-forgiving' evolved from the concept of self-compassion and self-acceptance, becoming a modern term to describe the act of forgiving oneself.

Initially, it meant 'to pardon oneself', and over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'having the ability to forgive oneself for mistakes or shortcomings'.