Guilt is so heavy?

Question

My guilt is starting to lead to anxiety b/c I think people will find out about the rude/uncool things I've done. I have not forgiven myself for what I did. I realize I stepped outside of my moral standards and I feel like crap for it. Any suggestions/techniques on how to truly forgive yourself?

I feel like if I can forgive myself, my guilt/anxiety will decrease. Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

You're not alone in the world. Everyone has things in their past that they're not proud of, or would be ashamed if they became public.

There's not a single person on the planet that does not carry some amount of guilt. Forgiving yourself is the hardest thing to do.

Do you have a trusted friend you can confide in? My best friend knows everything and is always there to listen when I hurt.

If you're a religious person, ask God to forgive you first. That will help you forgive yourself. Don't keep it inside, letting it out is your biggest obstacle.

Answer 2

The first step to forgiveness is acknowledging that we are all fallible human beings. We all make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes are bigger that we would like.

However, sometimes in order to be able to forgive ourselves we sometimes must ask forgiveness from the people we hurt, if at all possible. If that is not possible then we must begin the journey of making peace with ourselves.

I must however address the fact that I do not know if you really feel guilty about what you have done or if you are just anxious about people finding out. But that is a question that only you can explore and answer.

As you know, we must live with the consequences of our decisions and actions and sometimes they are not always favorable. Even though this is the the case, we do not have to live a life of guilt and anxiety.

Your guilt is a way of punishing yourself. You are probably subconsciously, feeling that you deserve the feelings of guilt and anxiety because you did something that was obviously against your morals and standards for yourself.

My suggestion is that you must accept the fact that you can not change the past, try to rectify your wrong (if possible), and then you have to move on and live a life that will not longer compromise you moral standards.

If you are a God-Fearing person, ask God for forgiveness and know that He can and will forgive you and He will expect you to forgive yourself.

Go in Peace

Answer 3

I don't know what you did, but hon we ALL make mistakes.. you aren't the first person to make one.. I've made some doozies in my day, believe me!

I suppose the first step you can take is to stop beating yourself up.

Secondly, if you feel you owe someone an apology, do that.. one apology is sufficient.. be sincere.

Next, remember -- guilt is for criminals, and i'm sure you are not a criminal... so no reason for guilt. You feel remorse, that is normal.

If you feel you are suffering a great deal of anxiety from this and can't shake it, go talk to your doctor. Sometimes they can help... and they aren't strangers to anxiety, depression and similar problems. That is what your doctor is there for.

take care of YOU.

You can also do a yahoo search for COPING WITH GUILT, COPING WITH ANXIETY. I'm sure you will find a lot of helpful information.

take care too. I still like you, even if you made a mistake!

Answer 4

Here's the thing about guilt. We persuade ourselves that if we feel guilty, we are somehow relieved of the responsibilty for acting correctly. We sit and suffer and feel just awful about ourselves, rather than getting up and doing something that will repair the damage we've done or acknowledge our wrongs.

If we take the action, the guilt will go away. If we take no action the guilt will remain, ripen into depression and own our lives.

What did you do?

How can you repair the damage?

Answer 5

The only way you can overcome your guilt is if you accept what you done in the past and truly forgive yourself. Trust me it works. glad i could help :)