Guilt

I don’t know about you, but as someone who has low confidence I have found guilt one of the trickiest things to deal with in life.  Guilt can come from (I think) 3 different sources.  One is doing something wrong knowingly.  Two is thinking others have expected an action that wasn’t fulfilled.  Three is actually being told someone actually believes you are wrong.

And one of the things about guilt is that it can entirely destroy your peace of mind.  And as this week is mental health awareness week, I thought it was important to bring this up because it can seriously negatively impact your mental health.

It has taken many years for me to begin to learn how to deal with guilt in my life and I can’t say I’m an expert at it by any means.  However, I have discovered if I start feeling guilty because I think I have done something wrong, the first thing I need to do is figure out if it really IS wrong, or not.  Basically, does it align with what I believe and value now?  And once that question is answered….well…..

Secondly is thinking others have expected some specific action.  Am I a mind reader?  Do I honestly know what the expectations are from another person?  If I don’t, there is no need to feel guilty for not fulfilling their expectations.

Lastly is other people making it known that their expectations are unfulfilled.  And this one is the most difficult because it comes across confrontationally.  That may not be the intent, but hits like a ton of bricks due to poor self image and destroys peace of mind.  Personally I find this one the most difficult to handle because the words eat away inside, making me doubt who and what I am.

TREASURE

Guilt can come from myself or others.  When it hits, I need to take a step back and work out if I really am at fault or not.