Guilt and its emotional implications: how does it impact our mind?

Guilt is an emotion experienced when we believe we have done something bad or harmful. Guilt as such is a very common experience, since some studies indicate that Approximately 90% of people have felt guilt at some point in their lives.

Feeling guilt is directly connected to recurring thoughts and emotions that are unpleasant and torturous. All these sensations are translated by the body into its own language, which is very explicit when it comes to showing us how a certain emotion feels. If we are attentive, we will realize that guilt has its own thoughts and sensations, therefore, it is easy to identify it.

With many of my patients, when we talk about it, they describe guilt as a feeling of a weight on their back or head; others describe it as a lump in the navel or throat region; In any case, whatever the sensation, everyone agrees that it is not pleasant at all.

The impact of guilt on our mental and emotional health

Guilt can influence our psychological well-being because feeling it for a long time can increase the risk of depression, anxiety and chronic stress.

. Studies suggest that chronic guilt may be related to significant depressive symptoms.

Guilt can affect our relationships and our self-esteem, this is because the unconscious stores all the information to which we have been exposed; The most common thing is to project onto the other, “I wasn't there,” what is stored but cannot be recognized with the naked eye.

In popular slang: “Every thief judges by his condition”, therefore, there is a deterioration of the trust towards others and this makes it difficult to establish relationships functional. We must take into account that, historically and to this day, guilt has been used to exercise power and maintain control over others, creating emotional dependence and submission..

Breaking the cycle of guilt: strategies to free ourselves from it

It is important to understand the difference between toxic guilt and legitimate or healthy guilt. Toxic guilt is an excessive, irrational and persistent feeling of guilt that does not correspond to reality or the person's real responsibility. It is a guilt that does not help to improve or repair the damage caused, but only serves to punish oneself and undermine self-esteem.

Toxic guilt usually comes from an excessive sense of responsibility, a need to be perceived as a good person, or an upbringing based on fear and shame.Therefore, it usually has negative consequences for the mental and physical health of the person who uses it. suffer, such as depression, anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, social isolation, self-punishment or somatization. Therefore, it is important to identify it and treat it with professional help.

Legitimate or healthy guilt is a natural and appropriate response to bad behavior, which helps us realize the mistake, ask for forgiveness, and learn from the experience. Healthy guilt is proportional to the damage caused and disappears when the problem is solved.

There are some strategies to manage and free yourself from guilt such as therapy. cognitive-behavioral, relaxation techniques, therapeutic writing, promotion of self-reflection and self-forgiveness. It is important to learn to evaluate our actions realistically and forgive ourselves for past mistakes.

Providing a framework for addressing guilt through the identification of triggers is a process that is only possible through the mechanism of self-observation. Self-observation in a technique that allows us to become fully aware of what we are thinking, feeling and doing. When this mechanism is in place, it challenges the negative thoughts that come from our irrational beliefs and emotions.

By taking responsibility for our actions, we can objectively see what our mistakes have been, so we can learn from them. By encouraging the development of personal skills, setting healthy boundaries, and surrounding yourself with supportive people, it is also a way to overcome guilt..

The power of empathy and forgiveness towards others and oneself

Putting into practice understanding and forgiveness towards others and towards oneself to heal and move forward is a response that arises when we deeply understand what compassion is. Once the cause of the guilt is found, therapeutic work is essential to understand that we are human and that the only way to let go of the guilt is to forgive oneself. Recognizing the mistakes that conditioned us to live with these feelings and stopping making them is essential to not get trapped in restlessness.

A full life is only possible when we become aware of the thoughts and emotions that enslave us towards guilt and remorse.. When we recognize that we cannot get out of these mental and emotional states alone, we seek help and implement strategies to overcome them.