Letting Go of Guilt

March 24, 2009 No Comments

Most of the guilt we feel in our lives isn’t warranted. We often feel guilty for things when we shouldn’t. Let me give you an example:

I know several people that feel they need to get a lot done on their days off of work. They plan to do the laundry or run a bunch of errands. If they decide to watch TV or take a nap, they end up feeling guilty. They feel embarrassed that they missed a few things on their list.

This is your day off. This is meant to be a day of rest. Go ahead and take a nap. If you ran around working on miscellaneous things and never took a break, you’d surely go crazy.

Why do you feel guilty?

It’s understandable to feel guilty if you do something wrong, like stealing someone’s parking space. But, guilt should be reserved for those instances.

Next time you feel bad for something you did, stop and take a good look. What did you do? Is it really something to feel guilty about? If someone else did it, would you think them silly for feeling guilty?

If you can’t come up with a good reason, then let go of the guilt. Instead of wasting your time feeling bad about yourself, find the good in what you did. Did you take a nap? Good! Now you’re rested for the next week of work and you’ll be more productive.

8 Things to Stop Feeling Guilty For

Having a night in, rather than going out with friends. We all need to be alone sometimes.
Having an extra serving at dinner. One more slice of pizza isn’t going to hurt you. Just remember to get back to healthy eating next time. No big deal.
Not giving enough money to charity. Even a little bit counts. You could only spare $5? Well that’s a lot more money than nothing!
Turning movie rentals or library books in late. If you pay your late fee, then you have no reason to feel bad. This happens to the best of us.
Masturbation. Everyone does it.
Getting praise at work. Instead of getting embarrassed and feeling bad for your coworkers, smile and acknowledge your achievement.
Coming to work late. It happens. You won’t get fired if it’s your first time. Just don’t do it again.
Neglected house plants. Some of us just don’t do well with plants. Rather than feel bad about your dead fern, pick up plants that need barely any attention, like a cactus.

Remember: unwarranted guilt is just a waste of your time. Keep those negative thoughts out, and reserve your guilt only for times when you truly do something wrong.