Let’s talk about guilt, a very common & normal feeling to have. But let’s be real, it’s a shitty feeling. Guilt can develop as either proportionate guilt which is caused when you hurt someone’s feelings. Proportionate guilt help’s us grow and learn (not to hurt people’s feelings). Or it can develop as disproportionate guilt, which is out of proportion to the situation or event. This type of guilt can cause resentment & shame. An example of disproportionate guilt is feeling guilty for getting a promotion. While it’s good to know what type of guilt you’re experiencing, it’s also important to think about how we cope with it. Here are our top tips for coping with guilt:
- Acceptance: Guilt is normal, it’s okay to experience it & accept that it’s present. Sitting with it is often all you need to feel better, try it.
- Journal: Writing about the thoughts & feelings around why you’re feeling guilty helps you to make sense of what’s going on for you & how it can be addressed.
- Be kind to yourself: Just because you feel guilty doesn’t mean you are guilty. Often we are hard on ourselves especially if we have done the wrong thing or a traumatic event has occurred. Taking the time to be kinder to ourselves in these situations is important.
- Learn: Learning from the event/situation you’re feeling guilty about can help us to grown and learn. However, sometimes this is easier said than done. This tip is a baby-step process, such is learning. Noting what the situation was, what happened, and why you feel guilty can help you change your behaviour.
- Reach out: Talking about the way you’re feeling and why can help you unload those guilty feelings and put them into perspective. Reaching out to a loved one (who will validate these feelings) or a professional can be helpful.
We hope these tips have helped you in some way. If you enjoyed this post please like & subscribe to our site & join our growing community.