No one lives without doing something they regret. Part of our human development is that we all make mistakes, which are sometimes costly. So, guilt is feeling regret and responsibility for past actions, inactions, and thoughts.
Several people are battling guilt over something wrong they did in the past. While guilt can prevent similar errors in the future, it can be limiting and affect your mental health if it lingers for too long. So, how do you deal with guilt?
Below are our top five tips.
Acknowledge Your Guilt
Guilt often hides under a mass of emotions. So, start by identifying the source of the guilt and accepting the feeling. If you have difficulty doing this, use meditation and mindfulness to connect with your emotions.
Forgive Yourself
Many times, guilt flows from terrible mistakes we’ve made. But, you need to know that there’s no perfection in life, and humans are bound to make errors. So, forgiving yourself and moving on is vital to dealing with guilt.
Make Amends
Yes, you may never stop feeling guilty if you don’t correct your errors. So, you may need to apologize to those you hurt, make up for something someone lost because of you, or reveal a secret you’ve kept from someone.
Understand What’s Within Your Control
Too many times, guilt stems from things we cannot control. For example, people sometimes feel guilty when loved ones die by suicide. However, it’s almost impossible to know a person’s mind if they don’t speak to you. So, dealing with such guilt starts with understanding that you cannot control several aspects of life.
Ignoring guilt does not only affect your mental health; it hinders personal growth, so deal with it immediately. For more information on how to handle guilt, visit our resource page.
