How Can I Stop Feeling Guilty about Everything?

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Guilt is a natural part of a relation, it occurs when one person in a relation feels inadequate. To stop feeling guilty a person need to be consulted and helped by his / her family and friends.

 

How can I stop feeling guilty?

  • Sit quietly, in a comfortable place without distractions. Relax and take time to breathe deeply, letting go of all cares and stresses.
  • Bring to mind a certain relationship or situation where you feel guilty. Ask yourself what the other person expects from you. Then ask yourself what you expect from the other person. Give yourself the opportunity to feel any feelings that may arise during the questioning. If, for any reason, you feel terribly frightened or overwhelmed, do stop. Perhaps the guilt is deep rooted and would be best explored in therapy.
  •  Reflect on the differences between the other person's needs and your needs. Ask yourself if you can fulfill what that person expects from you. If the answer is no, explore why you feel obligated to be someone you cannot be in this relationship. Again, if any feelings come up, allow them to surface, but stop if they become overwhelming or terrifying.
  •  Remind yourself that you are not responsible for the other peron's life. Repeat this phrase until you actually believe it. Negative thoughts may surface, fueled by inner shame. Challenge these thoughts with positive affirmations until you feel peaceful. Examples could include, "I'm a beautiful person, no matter how I feel, "I am a caring person no matter who I let down," or "I don't have to do anything to be loved."
  •  Visualize a bright light shining down on you and the relationship in question, and allow the light to warm and brighten the relationship. Visualize yourself handing over the relationship into the light, and concentrate on the light filling any emptiness you may feel inside. Let the light fill you until you feel peaceful.

 

What are difficulties in trying to stop feeling guilt?

Sometimes a person's own personality works against them when dealing with feelings of guilt. A perfectionist who fails to achieve an impossible goal, for example, may punish himself with unnecessary guilt for his perceived lack of focus. A person with a tendency to be a people pleaser may torture herself with guilt if someone rejects her overtures of friendship or doesn't praise her efforts on a project. To stop feeling guilty when no reason for guilt exists, you may want to examine what personality traits may be triggering those feelings and what can be done to gain perspective on those traits first. Once a perfectionist learns to live with imperfection, for example, then he or she should not experience nearly as much unnecessary feelings of guilt
 
 
 
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