The Truth About Guilt and How to Let it Go

Let’s talk about guilt. It’s not a great feeling, is it? By definition, guilt is a feeling of deserved blame for something. It is an emotion we associate with being sad. When we use guilt the right way, it keeps our values and actions in check because it is something we want to avoid. It moves us to act and do “the right thing.”

I remember being in elementary school and lying about not doing my homework. Maybe I’m ultra sensitive, but I hated how I felt, and so I didn’t do it again. When we use guilt to keep us from doing something wrong, it isn’t such a terrible emotion.

But sometimes guilt becomes a trap holding us back from finding happiness. We feel guilty about leaving our kids for a weekend with our husband or spending precious time away from home helping a friend. Maybe we don’t get to tuck the kids in at night because we’re going back to school. It’s easy to fall into the guilt trap even when we know what we’re doing is important and worthwhile.

While guilt can be a positive thing, motivating us to work towards our goals, it can also be the thing holding us back.

It’s important to pay attention to your feelings of guilt and ask yourself if it’s productive or if it’s destructive.

The Good the Bad and the Guilty