Feeling guilty or sorry are common emotions we all feel in our life. And although those feelings are good to have at times, to teach us lessons and help us to grow, they can also take up space in our journey and cause unnecessary stress both physically and mentally. This is why knowing about the things you should never feel guilty about is important to be able to understand and distinguish if the guilt you feel is helping you grow or if it’s holding you back.
What Is Guilt?
Guilt is a natural emotional response that is described as a sense of regret of responsibility to one’s actions.
Guilt can either help you learn and grow, or it can take up space and energy in your life that isn’t necessary.
While there are times when feeling guilty might be justifiable, there are other times when it isn’t. That’s when we need to be able to take a step back and reflect on the situations and things we shouldn’t hold guilt for as well as setting boundaries for those things so that the next time the guilt train rolls through, we can let it pass without staying for long.
Things You Should Never Feel Guilty About
Protecting your peace
Your inner peace is the most important part about you. Without feeling at peace internally, our lives can feel up in shambles and cause lots of stress and uncomfortable feelings. If you find yourself constantly putting your peace as a second option, doing things that don’t make you feel good and cause your life stress, I would say it’s a good time to reevaluate where your energy is going and how to correct it. At the end of the day, your peace is what helps you walk this earth and enjoy your life to the fullest. Protect it.
Saying no
Saying no is always an option. When we spend most of our times saying yes to everyone and everything, eventually we stretch ourselves so thin that it can start to unravel our mood and cause us stress and overwhelm. Don’t feel guilty for saying no to the things and people you don’t have space for in your life.
Choose how you want to spend your time, choose what makes you happy.
You won’t be able to please everyone but you can certainly learn how to not let yourself down. It’s okay to say no.
Taking breaks for your mental health
Burnout is a real problem. Far too often, people are running around like loose chickens just trying to make ends meet, find time to workout, eat a solid dinner, have a good social life, clean the house, tend to the kids and animals, and check off all the things on the to do list for the day – it can become exhausting and sometimes can make us feel guilty for not getting to it all.
But taking regular breaks for your mental health is extremely important in this fast-paced life, and they shouldn’t be something we feel guilty for doing.
Here are just a few small examples of how to do that during your hectic day to keep in mind:
- Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, multiple times a day.
- Stretch and move your body as often as you can.
- Keep a journal to do a brain dump and write out your thoughts.
- Take a moment to connect with a friend and vent out your feelings.
- Shut down your phone and take some time away from the online world.
- Take a moment to reflect on a happy memory you have from that day or previous times.
And for the days that maybe the small ideas just won’t cut it for you, take time off. Whether it’s from work, from cleaning, from checking off your to do list, take time to just be. If your body is telling you it’s on overdrive, don’t ignore it. And definitely don’t feel bad for needing the break.
Your health and wellness are important, more important than that mountain of clothes that need to be folded.
Letting go of relationships
Learning how to let go of people and relationships can be difficult. Is there someone in your life right now who maybe adds more stress and negative energy to your day than they do good?
We aren’t perfect, no one is. But something I’ve learned is that you will have people who will unconditionally be there for you, to root for you and reciprocate the energy you give to them, and then you will have the one’s who will take from you, only be there when it’s convenient for them and not have your best interest at heart.
This is why deciding who is worth your energy is super important as we grow.
That saying quality over quantity? Relatable.
It’s better to have a few good friends who you can count on, than a bunch of friends who only need you on their terms. Love the one’s who are truly there for you and try not to invest too much time in the one’s who aren’t.
Putting yourself first
Putting yourself first is not selfish. This doesn’t mean that you only think about yourself and don’t care about the needs of others. It simply means that you make sure you’re well taken care of before stretching yourself out too thin to the rest of the world. It’s a Friday night and your friends are blowing up your phone, wanting you to go out with them but you aren’t feeling it. That’s okay. This combines being able to say no and putting yourself first without feeling guilty for doing so.
Your accomplishments
You’ve worked hard to get to where you are. Whether that be financially, in your career, your home, your family, etc. You should never feel guilty for celebrating those accomplishments. You should never feel guilty for celebrating ANY of your accomplishments.
The truth is, not everyone is going to celebrate with you. And that’s okay. Your success should not be defined by what others have to say, but instead, should focus on how you feel about it.
This is your life, and you work hard for your accomplishments. Don’t let others opinions or your own critic dim your shine.
having alone timE
Alone time is important. It allows us to recenter and recharge ourselves, especially in such a high-traffic society. Being around people is beneficial for our social life, but it can also add stressors.
You might worry more about what other people are thinking while you’re with them. You might talk about topics that make you uneasy. You also might even alter your behavior in order to fit in, without even really noticing it, and it can be draining sometimes.
That’s why, taking time to just be you, to just be alone and not worry about others around you can be beneficial and get you back on a more balanced path.
Being authentically you
Being who you are is something you should never feel guilty about. You are the only you out there, that makes you special. So why hide that from the world? Fear of judgement, rejection or negativity are my guesses. The truth is, you can’t make everyone love you but the right people are going to love you for exactly who you are.
Don’t waste your life trying to fit into a mold that wasn’t made for you.
Do you, love yourself, and be authentically you. No apologies needed.
Disconnecting
Have you ever felt like you just needed a break from the online world? Me too. I take regular breaks from social media and I must say, the time and satisfaction I get from those breaks is amazing.
Social media is great for connecting with others, but it can also feel depleting at times on our mental health. Needing to take a break and disconnect for a while is okay. You don’t need to explain yourself to others about either, if you don’t want to of course.
Leave those comments and messages on hold and take time to slow down and be disconnected from it all.
Feeling guilty is a normal human emotion. But how much of it we carry is important to acknowledge and change if the weight is too much.
Tiffanie
What guilt do you tend to hold onto that you want to set free? Share in the comments below!
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