How to Free Yourself from Guilt

Whether or not you think you actually “deserve” the guilt you harbor inside you,

it’s never a healthy emotion to hold onto in your life.

Guilt usually surfaces when you refuse to accept the fact that every member of the human family makes mistakes and we all have to deal with certain failures.

Guilt Is Not Always Bad

Guilt can be a great motivator for you to correct something in your life that needs correcting, and once you’ve found a resolution, you’ll begin to feel more at peace.

However, in some cases there will be unresolved guilt lurking. This is when the emotion can be consuming and you’ll need to seek out ways to find inner peace.

Once you learn how to properly release these harmful emotions, you’ll feel like a tremendous weight has been lifted from your shoulders.

Why Do You Feel Guilty?

When you want to free yourself from guilt, you first need to identify the reason why you feel the way you do.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common causes of guilt:

•  You’re not accepted by others or think the thoughts you’re having are wrong.
•  You feel responsible for something bad that has happened to you or someone else.
•  You feel obligated to do something for someone for the wrong reasons.
•  You never did something or said something important to someone and now you’ll never get the chance.

Resolving Your Guilt

Once you’ve identified the reasons why you feel guilty, it’s time to come to terms with the situation. If you continue spinning in a cycle of guilt, it won’t be helping anyone, especially not you.

Here are some tips that can help you resolve your guilt:

1. Leave the past in the past. If you’ve done something wrong, you must come to the realization that you can’t change the past. Do what you can to make amends, learn from the situation, and then move on. That’s all you can do!

2. Fix the problem. If you can fix the problem that’s making you feel guilty, by all means, fix it as soon as possible. Beyond this, feeling guilty does not serve any purpose. Do what you can to overcome the situation and then release your guilty conscience.

3. Try not to be so hard on yourself. This may be easier said than done but you need to adjust your expectations to make them more realistic. If you’ve really given the situation your best shot and there’s nothing else you can do, give yourself a break!

4. Talk to others about the problem. Perhaps a trusted friend has been through a similar situation. If so, ask them about how they handled the situation and how you can make things better.

5. Forgive yourself. It’s in our human nature to make mistakes. After all, no one is perfect. Make a conscious effort to forgive yourself and your guilt will be released.

Decide For Yourself

There are many people who may try to bring you down and make you feel unnecessarily guilty. Some of these people may even be close to you. Make the conscious decision to disallow this kind of behavior. Strive for the confidence and awareness to prevent others from forcing guilty feelings onto you. This is a choice you can make!

Feeling guilty all the time is unhealthy, both physically and mentally. Use these strategies to help you enjoy your life free from guilt!

ABOUT STEPHANIE ROBINS, LCSW

Stephanie Robins, LCSW specializes in individual, couples and family therapy, and maintains a private practice in Alpharetta, GA. With compassion and understanding, she works with each individual to help them build on their strengths and attain the personal growth they are committed to accomplishing.