There Is an Emotion Called Guilt

Have you ever felt a mix of relentlessness, frustration, disappointment and remorse even after a sad event has passed? Such an emotion is known as “guilt”. Apart from sadness, guilt and regret may also affect us when things happen. 

Excessive Guilt Is Unnecessary 
 
People who feel guilty easily often have the habit of blaming themselves or regretting what they’ve done. Whenever something bad happens, they subconsciously criticize themselves and think about what they’ve done wrong. “If I had known, I would have… I shouldn’t have done that…” As this thought appears, they immediately blame themselves for making the wrong decision, missing something or making mistakes. If these instances of self-reproach aren't processed properly, they will stay in our minds forever, trapping ourselves in guilt all the time. 

Think about it, turning back in time, would you really have made a different decision if the situation and your perception had remained the same? You will find that most of your guilt comes from your strong desire for a different outcome, but a single decision won’t change how things develop. We may be sad and want to hold on to it, but excessive guilt is unnecessary. 

Dealing With Irrational Guilt

Ilse Sand mentioned in her book See Yourself With Friendly Eyes: How to Let Go of Guilt, that guilt can be divided into rational and irrational guilt. Irrational guilt is irrational thinking, which causes us to twist facts. For example, when our partner does something wrong, we may think that we’re responsible as well.  

Of course, we must take responsibility for our mistakes and the corresponding outcome. Reflect and improve ourselves to make up for it. Guilt allows us to learn from our mistakes and become better for the future, giving us the courage to apologize to people we’ve hurt and mend our relationships. However, we must understand what we’re truly responsible for and avoid taking responsibility for other people’s wrongdoings. 

Let us break free from the prison of irrational guilt, forgive ourselves, and let go of the feeling of remorse!